Daughter of the Jewel
by WC43
Summary: The jewel is complete. Naraku is dead. Everything is alright, except for Kagome... After she purifies the jewel, she falls into a coma, and waking up has disastrous results. SessKag, and various others yet to be determined.
1. And So It Begins

Alright! So, fanfic number two! Woot! People seemed to like the last one, and I hope this goes as well. It's just an idea I've been tossing around, and I have a lot of free time over Christmas break. It should be finished soon! It's a big one this time!

No lemons, yet, if that's what you're here for… later, definitely, though! Just a little innuendo here and there to help you through to the citrusy filling.

Onwards!

Daughter of the Jewel

By: Weirdchick 43

-----

The jewel was complete, and Naraku was destroyed, but the group couldn't muster up the strength to be happy. Kagome, their mother and sister and best friend for as long as they had been together, lay motionless on the ground. Kagome was never motionless.

She was not dead, they knew that, but she was definitely not alive and awake and spreading joy as she would have been if she was alive. Sitting silently around her prone body, the group focused all their energy on protecting their fallen friend.

Inuyasha picked up the now completely pure jewel, which had rolled away from Kagome as she had fallen. He placed it tenderly under her hands folded calmly across her abdomen. He couldn't make his wish when she was like this. Even Kikyo was sad for her reincarnation, the burning hatred that usually consumed her life set aside by the great events of that afternoon, and she stood aside at a respectful distance.

-----

The battle had been fierce, and everyone who had heard of the battle had come to fight. Even Sesshoumaru had come to join them, and was now leaning against a tree, one of the few remaining, nearby. They had all fought well, but many had fallen. The tenseiga had revived all who fell at Naraku's hand, to everyone's surprise, but they had continued on.

It had been an epic battle, but finally Naraku stood alone. Having seen that they were either about to die or finally be set free, his incarnations and slaves had fled to the depths of the forest to watch the events unfold in a shard of Kanna's shattered mirror. Miroku had shattered the mirror, then fallen to the ground, as the poison from the saimyoushou he had destroyed to get to her had finally taken over his system. Sango now knelt over him, slashing Naraku's frantic tentacles away from the helpless houshi.

Kagome, Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru remained, and all fights were set aside as they prepared to kill the hanyou that had made their lives miserable for so long. Kagome, wounded many times but still determined, batted away Naraku's tentacles with glowing palms, quickly clearing the area directly between them and their opponent. Taking their opportunity, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru slashed in together on either side of her, simultaneously cleaving Naraku's body in half and tearing him into thousands of tiny pieces. The jewel, now free, flew out of the bloody remains of its previous owner and straight to Kagome.

Immediately, the great impurity that had possessed the jewel surrounded her. Blackish blue likes, like poison, seeped up from her hands through her body, and she threw her head back in agony as the lines crept up her neck and into her face. Her eyes turned a sickly green and her body transformed into something completely horrific; dark and massive and completely evil. They heard the laugh of a thousand angry demons rumble up from inside of her, and they knew that this was no longer their Kagome.

Foam dripped out of the corners of her mouths, and she dropped onto all fours, prowling toward the group. She grinned, and her lips pulled back to reveal thousands of sharp, jagged teeth. Suddenly, she sniffed, and her pupils dilated as she turned in the direction of the hidden children. She began prowling towards them, her powerful youki sweeping out from her and crackling like lightning, stronger and more malicious than anything any of them had ever seen.

Then she stopped. Her eyes closed, and the pink energy of her purity swept out, soothing her friends as she shrank back down into her old self. She stood calmly in the middle of the charred clearing, her clothes in tatters and her many wounds seeping blood.

A look of intense concentration came over her, and her miko energy swept outwards once more, completely healing her friends and purifying the bodies of her enemies into dust, blowing away on a breeze and scattering itself across the lands. The jewel had glowed brightly, sending bright beams of light from inside of her hands, but she held on.

It stopped glowing, and she had smiled serenely, and then she fell to the ground, unconscious, landing on a bed of newly sprouted flowers and grass.

-----

Now, their ragtag group huddled around their friend, waiting for any sort of movement, any indication that would signal that she was still alive. Her hand twitched. They all held their breath. Was she alive?

It twitched again, and happy tears began rolling down Sango's face. 'Everyone will be alright!' she thought happily, still not daring to break the silence. 'We will all be happy! Finally!'

Miroku smiled too, and gave Sango a comforting pat on the rump.

Then, the jewel rolled out from under her hands, and the close knit crowd's hearts stopped beating, and froze Sango mid-slap. It moved slowly up her chest, a small black spot visible to everyone as it rolled. It stilled above her heart, then sunk in. No one knew what this meant, but there was a tingling in the air that kept them pretty sure that it wasn't. What was that spot?

In a flash, everyone was thrown away from the miko's still body. A white light crackled over her, pure, but still not kind. They stood, shielding their eyes as they stared. Her body rose into the air. Her mouth opened.

"I accept," she whispered, but everyone heard what she said and wondered at what its meaning.

She fell to the ground, and everyone rushed to her side.

Her eyes fluttered open, and everyone began talking at once, hugging her and checking he forehead and asking her if she was alright. And then she screamed. It was a terrible scream, a scream of immense pain, and they all stepped back reflexively, everyone except Sesshoumaru covering their ears. He stepped forward from his resting place, wincing delicately, and knocked her over the head, sending her crashing to the ground once again.

"Baka! What the hell did you do that for?!" shouted Inuyasha. "She just woke up!"

Sesshoumaru snorted. "Did you not notice the screams of pain, fool? This is mercy."

"Mercy my ass!" bellowed Inuyasha, irate. "No one manhandles Kagome while I'm around!"

The group winced collectively. Inuyasha was their friend, but he was often too dumb for his own good. Sesshoumaru had done the right thing.

"Inuyasha, my friend, perhaps we should figure out what caused Kagome-sama such pain, so we can help her once she wakes up? I have never heard a scream such as that," offered Miroku, even as his hentai mind mulled over ways to make a woman scream just like that.

Inuyasha looked sullen, but they all crowded around her once again. They all leaned in, looking carefully at her. They couldn't see any wounds, nor was she bruised or bleeding from anywhere they could see. Suddenly, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru leaned in abruptly, snuffling at her clothing. They leaned back quickly, seeming shocked.

"What?" demanded Sango. "What is wrong with her?"

"She is a demon," said Sesshoumaru.

"A full demon," choked Inuyasha.

They gasped and looked down on their friend, laying peacefully on the ground. How was she a demon?

Sesshoumaru leaned over and scooped her up.

"I will return you to her in a month's time. She will be very… unwell… for a while, and I will see to her," he said vaguely (and, even through the worry, Miroku gave a little chuckle to himself at the idea), then, "watch my ward and retainer. I will return."

And with that he was off, leaving a very unhappy and confused group of people in his wake.

-----

Ooh, read and review! New stuff soon!


	2. Auditory Distress

Alright! Chapter two!

Sweetness.

Eh. Fear my language. Sorry, guys!

-----

When Kagome awoke the first time, she could hear everything. Not just the chatter of her friends, or the rush of the wind in the trees, but everything. Not only could she hear the wind in the trees, but blowing through the grass and across the rocks and over her friends and through their hair and whistling around in circles and pushing the clouds across the sky. Not only could she hear the voices of her friends, but each individual heartbeat. And not only their heartbeats, but the heartbeats of every animal in the forest. And the pumping of sap through the trees. And the soft whir of the chloroplasts in the blades of grass by her ear.

She could hear chloroplasts.

That's when she knew she was crazy. Even more so, she realized she was fucked. No human being should ever have to hear Miroku pat Sango's ass in fucking Dolby Digital sound. Sango's hand whistled through the air like a fighter jet, and the resulting crack was about to split Kagome's ears.

And that's when she screamed.

Only, once she screamed, she realized that she could hear herself screaming. And she was damn loud. She screamed in pain reflexively, but that was just louder. She screamed again, and she could hear her heartbeat speed up and her blood pumping and her voice box struggling to keep up with the amount of discomfort she was feeling.

And then the hand of mercy rendered her unconscious.

-----

When Kagome awoke again, she was in what appeared to be a giant, soundless cave. She sighed in relief and marveled at how loud she was, echoing back at herself from the walls. The room was about the size of a football field, and as smooth and dry as a blown egg. She was laying on a pallet of blankets, thick but thankfully not very prone to rustling.

She heard footsteps, soft but clear, and a figure emerged at the other end of the room, sitting down against the wall as far away from her as possible.

"Your ears first, is it?" came the voice, and she realized it was Sesshoumaru. She touched her ears, feeling their alien points for the first time.

"What the hell?"

"You are a full demon now, miko. Your ears are the first thing for you to get used to."

"Pardon?"

"Somehow, you are a full demon. Do not ask me why. You are going to spend your time here until you can get used to your ears, so this Sesshoumaru doesn't have to hear you shrieking from his castle every time a twig snaps within a mile of you."

Kagome didn't appreciate him being such a bitch, but she realized he was right. And then she looked at him. He had been speaking at a normal volume from over there, and she could hear him perfectly, as if he was right next to her. He knew, at least, what she could handle. She looked at him crookedly and sighed.

"So how long am I here?"

"Until you can stand being near to this Sesshoumaru and his various… noises. Then we will proceed out towards the opening of the cave. Then, once you master your ears, we wait for the next problem to arise."

Kagome was rather awestruck. "Have you done this before?"

Sesshoumaru said nothing.

She grunted and lay down on her pallet. This was going to be the most boring time of her life. It wasn't like it was her fault she was this way! She sighed again, curling under her blanket, the rustling thunderous, but bearable. She fell asleep, trying desperately to remember what happened.

-----

When she awoke, Sesshoumaru was sitting next to her. She went to scream, but his hand clapped over her mouth, and she stilled as she remembered why that would be bad. With a pointed look, she removed his hand from her face and sat up. She was surprised that she could stand being near him. She looked at him, and decided to see how powerful her ears really were.

She could hear his breath, rushing evenly in and out of his lungs. She could hear his thick blood pumping calmly through his veins, and the strong beat of his heart. She was surprised by the intimacy of being able to hear everything about him, but she couldn't resist. She heard the sensual whisper of his clothes sliding across his skin with every movement, and the sweet caress of his exhaling breath across his lips, and was amazed by her own power.

He seemed to realize what she was doing, and sat there uncomfortably, staring at her. She looked up at him, then started back, She hadn't realized how intensely she had been scanning him. She looked down and blushed.

"Well, miko, it seems you have gotten used to your ears. Shall we move?"

"What? Already?"

"Are you not able to control yourself?"

She realized how soft his words seemed, even though he was near her. She has turned the volume down in her head! She listened to his breathing, then ignored it. It was wonderful! She grinned at him, a big, broad grin that made him smile a little in return. At this she grinned further, but he was already up and walking away.

She got up and chased after him, listening to their footsteps as they slowly synchronized, tapping along the floor in an even beat. Kagome hummed a little tune to the beat, and they made their way back out, through the twisting corridors of the cave, back to the sunshiny world above.

She heard the birds chirping, and a little focus allowed her to hear the wind in the trees and the flutter of insects' wings. There were flowers out there! She walked behind Sesshoumaru, barely seeing anything in the dark, but still eager to get outside and hear the world. He seemed to slow down just to irk her. She growled delicately, then giggled. She could hear everything! She was incredibly powerful, she could see how weak she had been before, struggling to hear whispered conversations around the fire.

They stepped out into the sunlight, and the clearing was breathtaking. Kagome smiled again, this time in wonder at Sesshoumaru and his many layers. Who knew a hardhearted demon lord could appreciate such a wonderful place?

She lay down against a tree, and he settled across from her, still far away. She felt it like a stab into her heart. She had been getting attached. She sighed to herself. Not everyone was her friend, and it was common knowledge that Sesshoumaru was an icicle. He was doing this for his ears and nothing else. She sighed again. She seemed to be doing that too much lately. She vowed to remain as uncaring about the stiff daiyoukai as he was about her.

Noticing her yellow bag laying half-hidden outside the cave entrance, she rummaged around and grabbed a book, loving how she could hear her watch ticking and the electronics humming, although the hum soon grew annoying. She sat away from the bag and cracked the book, settling down to read. It was going to be a long night, and she couldn't expect Sesshoumaru to be entertaining.

-----

Next chapter soon!


	3. Fight or Sight

Chapter three!

You get a little bit of Sesshoumaru's POV, today! Whee!

And maybe a little smut?

-

When Kagome awoke, she hoped desperately that the past day had just been a weird dream. It was true that no normal teenage girl dreamt of having been turned into a demon in a freak purity accident, and even the weird ones didn't imagine it sucking so bad, but Kagome would take an overactive imagination over a horrible reality any day.

When she focused on the sounds around her, clear and distinguishable, she prayed to Kami that maybe she was still dreaming. Everyone had weird dreams that lasted longer than they were supposed to, right?

When she opened her eyes, she begged herself not to throw up.

The world around her was dizzyingly clear, with every tiny detail for miles in perfect detail, and she slammed her eyes shut again, burying her head under her pillow and bursting into tears.

-

Sesshoumaru roused slowly to the sound of Kagome crying. She was buried under her pillows, afraid of something, apparently. He looked at her for a long time. Why was this woman so confusing? Yesterday she had been enjoying her new power, and today…

Well, at least it wasn't screaming.

He walked over to her and yanked her covers off, pulling her upright, staring at her clamped eyes, leaking salty tears. He could hear her stomach jumping and her heart beating frantically. It was her eyes today, then.

"Miko. Open your eyes," he said. Straight forward was probably best, he thought.

She cracked one open, then slammed it shut again, turning her head away from him in an attempt to get back to the shelter of her bedroll. He rolled his eyes. She wasn't paying attention, and the wench was damn frustrating. He wished he wasn't so obliged to do this.

"Miko. You have to open them eventually. Find something to look at and look at it, for gods' sakes."

He was frustrated, and he decided to get her angry. 'It isn't how the old woman did it, but even if it doesn't help her, I'll enjoy it. I hate this miko, and this horrible debt,' he thought hotly, 'and nothing makes me feel better about stupid obligations than a good fight.'

"Are you so weak, miko, even as a demon, that you can't even open your eyes?"

That did it, and he smiled smugly. Her eyes snapped open, and she stared directly into his with an amount of fury that he had never seen in the eyes of a female. Shocked, he took a step back, but she followed, glaring at him like he was Naraku himself. His eyes trailed down her clenched jaw and back up to her firm brow, and then into her eyes. He was shocked again. Her eyes, which had been a rather interesting shade of blue before, were mesmerizing. They were the color of the sea, and the sky, with tiny little specks of green and gold, like leaves on the breeze. He could feel her gaze tearing him apart, but he was paralyzed. This woman was now recognizably a demon. And an angry one.

He stepped back, and she stepped forwards again, and he realized that, even though she was angry, she was using him to block out everything around her. Triumphant, he stepped back two steps. She greened, and stepped forward again. He leapt up into the trees, and her anger turned frantic as she had to search for him now. Hidden away, Sesshoumaru watched as she turned, looking for him, then fell to the ground and retched. A small pang of pity ran through him, but she stood again and glared directly at him, eyes blazing again.

A tremble ran down his spine, and he shook himself for being so weak. He was supposed to be fixing her problems, not feeling this deep ache in his gut. He stayed in his tree, and she stalked towards him, trembling and green. He leapt back a tree, and she stalked forwards. He realized that she didn't yet have her demon speed, and so couldn't chase him properly, but he could lead her around for a while, then disappear. He would enjoy waiting at the campsite in comfort, waiting for her to stumble back in, tired and quiet. He chuckled and leapt back again. This might be fun after all.

--

Five hours later, Sesshoumaru was back at camp, and beginning to worry. The miko had not returned, and he was almost positive that the crashing noises from deep in the forest, the sounds of her desperate hunt for a trail, had faded off into the distance. He smelled a demon in the forest, low level and hungry. The miko did not have her strength yet, nor speed, nor any talent whatsoever to fend off a hungry predator. 'She might die out there,' he thought, 'and then this Sesshoumaru's debt to society would go unpaid.'

He sighed, ignoring the strange pitter-pat of his heart. 'Damn women,' he thought, and he headed out.

--

Kagome had been waiting for Sesshoumaru to leave. She had mastered her eye problems within the first hour of the chase, and realized what he was doing during the second. As soon as he had disappeared, she had headed for the nearest hot spring, which was quite easy to find, now that she could see the steam rising high above the trees. It had been ages since she had taken a bath, and she was grimy and disgusting. She may not have been able to use her shampoo or towel, but at least she could rinse her clothes and wash off the sweat and dirt from her travels.

She settled into the hot water, chuckling at the thought of Sesshoumaru sitting at camp, thinking he was getting away with something. He could sit there for a good while before she came back, sparkling clean and smug.

She scrubbed her clothes under water, setting them out to dry on a rock in the sun. returning to the hot water, she sank into the soft caress of the small waves and giggled at the rocks deep at the bottom of the spring, as easily visible as the ones above the surface. She curled her toes in the sand, watching the steam float gently across the water, and froze. There was a crashing behind her. Relaxing, she told herself it was just Sesshoumaru, probably trying to lead her off again on the trail. She slid deeper into the spring, wishing she had some soap or a good novel, and dozed.

--

She awoke with a start to the sound of ripping fabric to see her clothes being torn into strips and eaten by a boar. She screamed, and it jumped, turning towards her and grinning a horrible, snaggle-toothed smile, dripping salvia onto the grass. She backed out of the spring, scrambling out the other side, and turned and ran.

She heard it give chase, and hoped to Kami that it was slower than her. A pair of hooves in the small of her back told her she was wrong, and she fell to the ground, the demon-pig snuffling at her neck. She rolled over, throwing it off, and it chuckled, trotting back over and pinning her with one hoof.

"What have we here? A demoness just coming into her skills… a delicious treat on this fine evening."

She was shocked that it could talk, but even more disgusted by its breath and the saliva that dripped down to puddle between her breasts.

"Ooh," it chuckled, following the trail of drool to her chest, heaving with every breath, "Maybe a little bit of enjoyment beforehand?"

She screamed for Sesshoumaru, and the boar stepped back.

"You think you know the Inu Lord? Hah! He would have no feelings for a weak female such as yourself. You are trying to fool me! Feisty... more to my pleasure, I say…"

She screamed again, grabbing a rock. She called upon her miko powers, dormant beneath her demonic aura. She smashed the rock into the demon's skull, and it fell, stunned to the ground. She scrambled up and threw more rocks at it, using as much power as she could, a red haze slowly floating across her vision. The boar fell to the ground, and she fell, too. exhausted and afraid.

The last thing she saw before she blacked out was Sesshoumaru, slitting the demon's throat before stepping towards her.

--

Sesshoumaru was annoyed. Not only had the damned miko been taking a bath while she was supposed to be searching the forest for him, but she had managed to get herself attacked and almost raped by a giant boar. She was more trouble than she was worth.

He picked up her limp body and threw it in the springs, effectively waking her up and relieving some of his irritation.

She rose sputtering to the surface, glaring at him with all her might, and the tingle of fear rose again at the base of his spine. Her miko energies flared up, and her youki, too. She seemed to have come into more powers as she fought, although this wasn't surprising, as it made everything more inconvenient for him.

She rose out of the water and stormed back to camp, slashing every low hanging branch and bit of shrubbery that got in her way. He watched, bemused, as her pert backside bounced haughtily away, and followed, deeply enjoying the lines of her back as she thrashed her through the forest. They arrived at camp, and she seized her big bag and spun.

"You," she said, punctuating her angry words with jabs to his chest with one newly pointed claw, seeping poison and sizzling through his kimono, "will guard my things as I bathe. Again. And you will not look while I clean off all this dirt and boar goo, which was your fault in the first place. Come on."

He, whose eyes had been following her glowing finger and the jiggling of her breasts, stepped silently back as she passed, aura snapping like flames and tempting body drawing him along. He trotted to catch up to her surprisingly brisk walk, and then fell in line behind her. This was an angry demoness, fully capable of doing him harm, and he would not anger her too much more today. A newly grown demon in full form was not something he would like to deal with today.

She threw her bag down at the edge of the springs, zapping the carcass of the boar with a bolt of purity, reducing it to dust as she grabbed several bottles and walked into the spring. Sesshoumaru slouched against a tree, watching her from underneath his bangs, and he had to admit, to himself at least, that he enjoyed what he saw.

First, she lathered her hair roughly, then slowed down as her own ministrations soothed her. The foam rolled gently down her hands, plopping into the water or landing on her breasts. He spent a moment wishing to be that foam, sliding slowly over her nipple, hardened by the cool air. She rinsed her hair then, pouring a different kind of goo into her hand and rubbing that in, then rinsing. Then came the soap. Oh, how Sesshoumaru loved the soap. Even the soap he had was rough and harsh, but hers was a smooth white bar, gliding gently over her skin and leaving a trail of white liquid and tiny bubbles. She caressed her whole body with the bar, raising her legs out of the water one at a time, then sliding it down to where Sesshoumaru could only imagine. He almost moaned, and he could feel a discomfort in his pants that he had not felt since he was trying to control his own demonic powers.

She reached over to her back and grabbed a large white towel, covering her body and easing Sesshoumaru's aching state of mind slightly. She grabbed her bag and slid into the woods, returning dressed and happy looking. She wrapped her towel around her head, and looked up at him, smiling cheerfully. He was glad that she didn't know what had been going through his mind, and as she headed back to camp, he shook himself. No female should have such an effect on him. He heard a motion in the woods next to him and stretched out his senses. A deer. He killed it quickly. They needed food, and the kill distracted him from his strange lust.

They ate in silence, and she fell asleep without a word to him.

He sat awake for a very long time, brooding about the sleeping demoness across the clearing.

--

Ooh la la!

New chapter soon, guys, although it may be a bit slower now that break is over...

3


	4. Heat and Memories

Aah!

Haha, this is the one I've been waiting for.

Guess what part of demon life Kagome has adopted, now!

Sesshy's POV, again…

Beware, it's Citrus-tastic!

Although there's some explanation in there, later, too…

---

Kagome awoke in the night, veins raging with a strange burning that she had known many times before. She was horny.

Her hands slid down to their place between her legs, ready to do the job and get it over with. She wouldn't be able to sleep until she had finished, this much she knew from experience.

As she pressed her clit, however, she realized that this wasn't going to cut it. She had never needed so much before. She pressed harder, entering herself with her other hand and pumping in and out urgently. Tears of frustration sprang to her eyes. There was no where else to turn for pleasure. She pressed harder, going faster, trying to bring any of her old flames to mind to aid in her release. Nothing worked. She pressed harder still, and then opened her eyes. She smelt a male.

---

For the second time in two days, Sesshoumaru was woken by Kagome's distressed noises from across the dying fire. As he focused, though, he realized that these were different, more desperate…

He walked over to her and her eyes shot open, and he realized what stage she had gotten to.

She was in her very first heat.

Her sad whimpers and desperate calls, he realized, had been the sound of a woman in need, and he had walked right into her range of smell. Now, he would either have to flee or please her, and he really didn't want to deal with an angry miko demon who thought he had taken advantage of her. And that was what she would think.

He momentarily considered taking her, ravishing her where she lay, foggy with lust, and hoping she wouldn't remember, but then her eyes opened, fixing to his, and she pounced.

Now, usually Sesshoumaru would have destroyed the female who dared to pounce on him thus, and he was very near to destroy this one, but her heat pressed against him felt so damn good that he couldn't bring himself to move her. She was straddling his waist, womanly thighs pressed against his hips and lovely full chest brushing against his. He looked at her sleeping clothes, which he had never really paid notice to before, and thanked the Kami for this woman's strange choice in outfit.

She wore a shirt with no sleeves, thin straps holding up the triangles of fabric that barely contained her breasts. It was soft, and tight, and she wore nothing underneath it, so he could see her nipples pushing towards him through the cloth. Her pants, if they could be called that, were short far beyond decency, and they too clung tight to her body. He could smell her desire through the pants and on her hands, and she moaned as his desire for her became evident. She rubbed against the bulge straining against his baggy hakamas, and he moaned too. The virginal miko was more seductive than any demoness he had ever encountered.

"Oh, Sesshou," she purred into his ear, "take me. For your pleasure or mine, I don't care. Take me now."

She ground against him again, warm lips fluttering over his ear before finding his mouth and pressing against him desperately. His mouth opened reflexively, and her tongue darted out to meet his. They clashed, both desiring the other, and their passion grew. He sat up, pulling her towards him urgently as they entwined.

She purred, leaning back to allow him access to her neck, and he slid down her body slowly. She took one claw and slit her shirt down the front, and her pants down the sides, revealing herself to him fully. He groaned and peppered lusty kisses down her chest, licking and suckling at her breasts as he floated down towards her core. She whimpered, and he stopped. The miko had never whimpered like that, like a kicked puppy.

He jolted back. She did not want this. All she wanted was release, and he would not be used. He got up, leaving her naked and panting on the ground.

"Sesshoumaru," she pleaded, mewling like a lost kitten. She slowly tried to get up, struggling with the weight of her desire. His body begged him to go to her, panting for him on the ground, but he knew that to have her like this would shame them both. He walked away, and she flopped back on the ground, despondent.

He walked away, and heard her sobs echo through the forest, the air clearing of her thick pheromones as he distanced himself. Amazed, now that he could feel the difference, by her ability to earn a male's lust, he turned back. Any male within miles would be drawn to her like a bee to honey. He threw up a barrier, surprisingly angry at the thought of another male having her. Disgusted with himself, he walked on. He needed to get her out of his system, and to let her get over her need, before he returned.

---

Perched on a ledge cropping out from a nearby mountain, Sesshoumaru marveled at how her scent lingered in his nose.

He could've happily gone back and ravished her needy body, but he resisted. He remembered his own first heat, and knew that to give in to the desire would be dangerous for both of them. He just hoped that the strange miko could understand his motives. To have her strange happiness shadowed by a feeling of abandonment would make his commitment even harder.

He sighed and leaned back against the rough stone. He hadn't had much time to think, lately, dealing with the unpredictable new demoness. He thought back on his own transformation, many years ago.

---

When he was very young he was happy. He was well cared for and kind, and everything one could want in a child and future ruler. Then his mother had died, and Sesshoumaru and his father grieved together. Soon after, however, his father found a new love in a human hime, and Sesshoumaru was allowed to roam free and wild while his father tended to his new wife. The other demon lords and even the servants of the palace had no respect for the new Lady of the West, and Sesshoumaru had learned to hate from them. He grew bitter and violent, raiding human villages as he grew older, and only left the children alive out of pity. The men tried to fight, and were cut down. The women tried to beg for mercy, but Sesshoumaru knew how cunning they were, having seduced his father, and destroyed them as well.

His father and the ningen, round with child, confronted him, and Sesshoumaru decided to leave. He would not live in a house where ningens and half-breeds held more sway over his father than he did. He stormed out, but his father called to him that he would need to return eventually, and if he did he would be welcomed with open arms. Sesshoumaru had scoffed and spat at them, then left.

He spent the next few decades training, growing stronger and more focused, and all of his rage was converted into sheer coldness. He was fighting an adult demon, shocked by the strength of a mere child, when it happened. He couldn't slow down. He circled the demon several times, trying desperately to slow down, but nothing could happen. Confusion showed on the demon's face, then he grinned.

"Finally grown up, eh boy? Good luck slowing down, all alone here in the forest. You've made a lot of enemies, and no one will help you now," he threw some dust into the air, which pelted into Sesshoumaru's eyes and skin like arrows. Sesshoumaru screamed, and the demon leapt over his spinning path and strode away, laughing.

Sesshoumaru ran and ran, shooting off into the forest, dodging trees and fearing for his life. If he hit a branch at this speed, he could very well die. He ran faster, zooming along until he tripped, flying into a clearing where he lay, helpless, afraid to move lest he lose control again. It was there that she found him.

Sesshoumaru had been laying still for days, debris collecting on his ripped clothing, when an old demoness had hobbled into the clearing. She was strong, he could feel it, although she wore pelts instead of decent clothes. Leaning over him, she smiled, and Sesshoumaru could see the wisdom in her crinkled eyes.

"Let me help you," she said.

She lifted him up and cared for him, and in the month that followed he learned much from her. She explained to him what was happening:

"In every demon's life, there is a time when he or she finally grows into their skills. No matter how strong or weak they were beforehand, they will come into their true powers, and they will be grown. There was a time when this did not happen, when demons fended for themselves and so their powers matured when they needed them, but nowadays all one can hope for is that they are protected and cared for as they go through this hard time. You, Young Lord Sesshoumaru," at this Sesshoumaru had been shocked, for he had not told her his name, "are now a fully grown demon."

She had smiled at him, and he smiled back, a smile like which had not been seen on the face of the young demon since his mother had died.

"How can I ever repay you?" he asked, feeling indebted to her more than he had ever felt before.

Laughing, then turning serious, the old demoness looked into his eyes. "You owe me nothing, but if you ever see a demon in the state you were in, you are honor-bound to help. Once you have done for someone else what I have done for you, your debt will be repaid."

She kissed him on the forehead and disappeared.

---

Now, in retrospect, Sesshoumaru realized how wise this had been. At first he had scoffed, and then thought it a burden, but he realized now how much Kagome needed him. Had he not been there, she would have been raped and killed for sure, and most likely insane. She needed him, and he needed her to remind him of what he was about. Having forgotten what the old demoness had taught him, to love, to care, was a dangerous thing, and he needed this reminder to properly care for Rin, and his lands.

He leapt down the mountain, releasing his barrier and pulling the now sleeping Kagome into his arms to keep her warm. He would protect her, teach her what he knew, and pass on his legacy. Leaning back against a tree with the sleeping miko in his arms, he sighed. This was going to be a long month.

---

He's still in denial, methinks.

New chapters soon!


	5. Speed, Smell, and Conflict

Ahh… sorry it took so long…

I'm sorry. I lied. I said new chapters soon.

Its been months?

But I'm gonna get this shit done, I promise!

So here, for you, Ch. 5!

--

When Kagome awoke, she was incredibly comfortable. She was sitting on something warm and cushy, and something fluffy was wrapped around her back. She snuggled into her cozy little cocoon, tired and desperately comfy. Something tickled her nose. She grabbed at it sleepily: a lock of hair. She tried to tuck it back behind her ear, but it fell back out again. She tugged it curiously, feeling no pain, but it was definitely attached to something. She opened her eyes, resigned to being awake at least until she had dealt with this annoying lock of hair. She glared at it, and confusion registered in her sleep-muddled mind. Silver?

Sudden clarity washed over her, and she jerked back. She was in Sesshoumaru's lap.

She flew backwards out of his lap, much faster than she had intended, and, as she realized after a split second, a ridiculous amount faster than she had ever run in her life. Another fraction of a second later, she realized she couldn't stop. She hit a tree within the next second, and fell firmly to the ground, confused and embarrassed.

She remembered wanting sex. A lot of sex… and then had woken up in Sesshoumaru's lap.

Had she had sex with Sesshoumaru?

She dismissed that idea almost immediately. Sesshoumaru wasn't the type to sleep with any woman-turned-demon that fell panting into his lap, and even if he was, surely he wouldn't have slept with her while she was in such a condition, right? Sesshoumaru was too pretty to have to resort to that. She imagined him in the future, skulking around a bar and slipping some mysterious powder in an unsuspecting girl's drink, only to be flocked by six others. She chortled, and opened her eyes to see Sesshoumaru's looking into hers curiously. She smiled up at him, remembering that she had bigger issues to deal with right now, anyway.

"So… how do I get out of this one, sensei?

He looked at her oddly, and doubts flashed back into her mind. Had she managed to convince him last night? She shook her head. No. She had not slept with Sesshoumaru… She didn't feel any different, so she couldn't have. Besides, he wouldn't have lowered himself to that.

"Miko," said Sesshoumaru authoritatively, "Stand. Slowly. Your speed will not come into play until you try to move suddenly or quickly."

Kagome stood slowly and shakily, looking at Sesshoumaru curiously. He was being unhelpful, true, but much more helpful that he usually was. What was this change about? Did he feel bad for her, or was he trying to make up for having taken advantage of her? She cringed, and stood, painfully and slowly, until she was standing up fully, on eye level with that attractive, manly chest of his. She growled quietly, impressed by her own ability to do so.

Sesshoumaru's trademark eyebrow raised in silent question. The girl… demoness… whatever she was, had been staring at his body for an uncomfortably long time, never at his eyes, and she had just growled. He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with her in heat for another day. He couldn't bear the scent of her need. He gripped her chin and tilted her head up, tired of waiting for the little enigma to decide to meet his gaze.

As she met his eyes, a feeling of heat washed over her entire body, and she remembered exactly why she had been so lusty over the demon lord in the first place. She felt her desire sweep through her body again, and she ran a hand nervously through her hair. Or, at least, she tried to. Her hand flicked out at light speed, one sharp claw catching her cheek as it shot past, dragging her whole body with it. She righted herself midair, spinning, and landed on her feet again, stunned.

Sesshoumaru chuckled, pearly white fangs gleaming in the morning sun, and she just barely stopped herself before her hand flew to her face in awe. He stepped towards her, the smile still in his eyes, and held out a hand.

"Spit."

She gaped at him.

He reached over, opened her mouth, and ran his thumb along her tongue. He rubbed the wet digit along the scratch, and Kagome felt the pain calm as her youki surged to the surface and healed the cut.

"Your saliva is the only antidote to your own poison, or that of someone in your family.. As much as I love attracting nearby demons with the scent of your blood, I think it would be in everyone's best interests if we healed that up, yes?

She nodded slowly, and the smile returned to his eyes, although not to his frozen face, and her doubts returned. She had never seen Sesshoumaru even glimmer with joy, and now, after she had been all over him, he was grinning like a high-school boy who had just gotten some action. Which he very well might have. She cringed.

He noticed this, and realized what had been going on. Her transparency amazed him sometimes, but at others he wondered how he possibly could've guessed what she was thinking.

"Miko. This Sesshoumaru would not have allowed himself to be seduced, even by the likes of you. You will stop looking at him like he is some sort of riddle to be solved."

Kagome blushed at her foolishness. Sesshoumaru would not sleep with her, no matter how hard she tried. Her new demon self, even as a now powerful demon, was never going to be good enough for the great lord. She sighed.

"Sesshoumaru, how long until I can move?"

"You may move now, if you wish, but try to control yourself."

She grimaced and stepped forward slowly, gaining confidence and stepping faster until she was walking full-speed around the clearing. She grinned, and jumped into the air with joy, crashing embarrassingly through the canopy and landing on a branch thirty feet above the ground. Oops?

"Miko, remove yourself from the tree," intoned Sesshoumaru, "and try not to hurt yourself even more"

Kagome sighed. She was rather enjoying being so far away from him, especially after the awkward situation earlier. Leaping down gracefully, or at least gracefully for her, Kagome flipped through the air, getting dizzy about halfway through, thankfully landing on something soft, although still firm.

Her gratefulness lasted for a very short time, as she had already been acquainted with this firm softness today. Sesshoumaru's body. She flushed head to toe and scrambled off of him (again), shooting off into the trees in an embarrassed flurry. Again. She managed to turn around and make a "help me" face at Sesshoumaru, who looked far too pleased to see her in this situation again. She stuck her tongue out at him, and pulled it back in again just in time to smack into another tree, knocking her unconscious.

--

Sesshoumaru picked up the fallen miko once again, lifting her lightly over his shoulder and hauling her back towards camp. She roused with the swish of his hair in her face, groaning at the twin bumps on the front and back of her head. She hazily realized that she must have come into her sense of smell yesterday, as well as the… ehm… incident, and so she scented out her surroundings as the Popsicle prince carried her back to camp.

She could smell the moss on the rocks, and the small flowers and plants growing beneath the canopy. She could smell the way the sun heated everything it touched, making everything more pungent on the side she deemed east. It was still morning, then. She could smell the mushrooms growing in the damp of the shadows, and the animals that had come to feed on them. She grinned. At least this one wasn't giving her any trouble.

And then she smelled Sesshoumaru. He was exquisite, like the smell of a campfire put out by a spring rain, in the middle of an orange grove. But he was more than that. She could smell his maleness, and a smell that mingled that was decidedly feminine and familiar. Hers. She smelled her arousal from last night and cringed, but felt heat spread through her as she realized that it was mixed with his own arousal. She tingled deep inside. He had wanted her.

Sesshoumaru became aware of his newly awake passenger as he smelled the arousal washing up off her body again. This woman never quit. The grunted and tossed her to the ground, not wanting any more temptation of that kind again.

Falling with a thud and a little squeak, demon Kagome recovered herself quickly in the dirt, appearing in front of him faster than he had thought possible. He mentally slapped his forehead. She was a demon, ripe in her powers and certainly powerful. She was not to be underestimated, although, by the looks of her, she was as surprised by her speed as he had been.

"What was that for?!" she bellowed, cringing at her own tone but not backing down.

"You smell," he stated. It was not a lie, he insisted to himself. He was just not going to debase himself enough to tell her how much she affected him. Even the memory of the scent of her arousal was enough to send a quake or two down to his core.

Inhaling deeply to begin her rant, she paused. She smelled his arousal again, tangy and fresh. She grinned, an evil grin that sent tremors through Sesshoumaru's body. He didn't understand quite yet why she looked like she was going to eat him alive, but he was sure he didn't like it.

"Smell bad, do I?" she asked, eyebrow raised in perfect imitation of his own.

"Quite," he quipped, deeply wishing he knew what she was up to.

"Hmm," she said, and she thought about him, touching her, tasting her, intentionally throwing off her own arousal. He could lie all she wanted, but she could still have some fun. She felt her body temperature rising, and the scent of her need rolling towards him. Letting a hand graze across the tip of a breast, she stared into his eyes and smirked, wetting her lips for good measure.

Sesshoumaru then realized what was going on. She could smell him. She could smell the desire that welled up in his being every time her body hinted at wanting him. She knew what she was doing. He had pushed her too far, and now she had gone insane and was trying to seduce him. And doing a damn good job.

'Oh well,' he said to himself. 'It's her idea, and there aren't many more pleasurable ways to lose one's dignity!' and with that, he pounced.

--

Kagome hadn't been expecting that. Anger, maybe. A growl and an icy storm off, more likely. Never, not in a million years, had she expected him to give in. Sesshoumaru, Daiyoukai of the western lands, did not just Igive in/I whenever some fresh-out-of-the-oven demoness wafted a few hormones his way.

These thoughts, however, were put out of her head completely the instant his lips touched hers. They were soft and smooth, and the tongue that rasped against her bottom lip was clearly ready for action. Her mouth opened reflexively, and she gasped as he pillaged her mouth, fangs clashing against each other and venom mixing and being neutralized in the same motion.

His mouth moved away from her mouth, letting her breathe as he traveled across her face, nibbling her ear and licking her jaw. She moaned, bending into his touch. Letting her hands roam his back aimlessly, she stumbled upon the ties of his hakamas and froze. He froze too, backing up. She could see the bulge in his pants, painfully large, but he seemed to be waiting. For her.

Breath held, Sesshoumaru watched as her inner conflict played across her face. He was much too far in, he realized, and she hadn't even been propositioning him. His weakness disgusted him. She had been playing a game, and he had lost. He grunted, and her eyes snapped to meet his.

"You win, Miko. Demoness. Whatever you are. You seduced the Great Lord Sesshoumaru. Congratulations. Go giggle to your friends. I have had enough of these games."

He walked away, seething at himself for being so foolish as to think she would want him.


	6. Somewhere Not Too Far Away

Alright, another chapter. Let's go.

--

Back with the Inu no Tachi

--

Inuyasha fumed. They had been running around Sesshoumaru's domain for days, trying to find where that bastard had taken his Kagome. The rest of the group had come along reluctantly, he could tell, but they would appreciate the effort once they found Kagome, he was sure.

Sesshoumaru had no right to take her like that, whisking her off to Kami knows where, just because she was suddenly a full demon. Inu Yasha scoffed. Sesshoumaru's head was so far up his ass he probably didn't even realize how dangerous Kagome was, even as a human. He allowed himself a small chuckle. Kagome with new powers would be an interesting addition to her already formidable skills of intimidation.

"What's so funny, Inu Yasha?" asked Shippou, poking his head out from behind Rin's. They were riding on Sesshoumaru's dragon, Ah Un.

"I was just imagining Kagome's reaction when Sesshoumaru starts all that 'I am all powerful, you must bow to me' business," chuckled Inu Yasha. "I'm sure she'll _love_ that."

Rin giggled. She had spent some time with the group before, and had already witnessed Kagome's infamous temper. "He'll ask her to call him lord," she laughed.

Shippou laughed too. "Kagome would never call him lord! She would probably manage to make another necklace like Inu Yasha's and 'sit' him all the way through to the mainland!"

They all laughed at this, except Inu Yasha, who was just wincing at the thought of another 'sit'.

"Lord Sesshoumaru would not like that in the least," he chuckled, taking a stealthy step closer to Sango. The curse on his wind tunnel may have closed, but the curse on his other hand lived strong.

Sango batted him off, so well used to the action that she barely blinked. "He would call her 'wench,' like always," she said with a giggle. "There's nothing Kagome hates more than being called wench!"

They laughed and walked, playing out the long and epic fight between the two most prideful and stubborn people they knew. Even Jaken added in his toady opinion, and Ah Un and Kilala even managed an emotive snort or mew every once in a while. Kikyo, silent in the back of the group, smiled slightly every once in a while. She still resented Kagome, just a little bit, but the humor could even touch her heart of soil. While they joked, however, Inu Yasha, striding along at the front, had different thoughts racing through his head.

He and Kagome had gotten along like that, but their relationship had been more than just friends. Even while he was tied to Kikyo, a part of him loved Kagome even as they fought. What if Sesshoumaru got to see the woman under the fire, too? He couldn't stand his Kagome going to be with that frozen prick of a demon, even if he had Kikyo. Even the icy Sesshoumaru would fall for Kagome, given enough time, Inu Yasha was sure.

He hurried along, yelling at the group to catch up, and all conversation faded in the effort to keep up with the half-demon's frantic stride.

"Inu Yasha!" called Sango, panting slightly. "Why are we going so fast?"

"We need to get to them before he… hurts her, or something…" yelled back Inu Yasha.

"Inu Yasha, stop," pled Miroku. "We will not be able to keep going that fast for any length of time."

"But…" started Inu Yasha, ears back. He couldn't explain why he was so worried, not with Kikyo there.

"We will slow down," came the houshi's firm reply. "If Sesshoumaru was going to do something bad to Kagome, he would have done it in front of us, and Kagome is quite capable of taking care of herself."

Inu Yasha sighed. The monk was right.

As they walked, his nervous thoughts from before faded. Kagome _could _take care of herself. And no way would she fall for the frozen bastard. She loved her friends! Relief flooded through him, warming his skin and making his cheeks flush. He had been being stupid, and selfish. What Kikyo must have thought of him!

He fell back and nuzzled her cheek, breathing in her scent of soil. As much as the others complained about her and called her 'clay pot,' he loved the scent of wet soil. She smelled like the earth, which was almost as pleasing as her scent when she had been alive; that of white lotuses in a slow creek.

He forgot all thoughts of Kagome in the memory of Kikyo's flesh, and soon called the group to stop and make camp.

Kagome could wait, and Kikyo was here, now.

They ate dinner in warm camaraderie, and when Inu Yasha and Kikyo snuck off to 'get firewood' no one complained. The children fell asleep with bellies full of ramen, taken from the plentiful supplies Kagome had put in Ah Un's saddlebags, and Jaken soon after.

Sango and Miroku remained awake leaning against trees and prodding the fire, trying desperately not to imagine what Kikyo and Inu Yasha were up to out in the forest.

Sango sighed. "Do you think Kagome's okay?" she asked, staring into the flames.

"I am quite sure she is," replied Miroku. "You saw how Sesshoumaru picked her up, didn't you? He seemed to be rather concerned about keeping her in once piece."

Sango looked at him sharply. "You don't think… he…"

"No! No," replied Miroku, hands waving in excitement. "I don't think that's why he took her, it just seemed like he needed her alive, for whatever purposes he has. Sesshoumaru doesn't seem the type to fall so fast to me."

"I know…" mumbled Sango. "It's just that, I've heard, demons, when they come into their powers, they go through a brief stage where everything is too intense to handle alone. I'm worried that's what Kagome's going through right now. There are horrible stories of demons driven mad by their own powers."

"Even if she is," said Miroku, brows furrowed, "Sesshoumaru must know how to take care of that, right?"

"Yeah," she said thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought of that. I just hope she's okay. The more powerful the demon is, the more difficult these changes are supposed to be, and she didn't feel at all weak to me."

"No, she was quite strong. One of the strongest I've ever felt. This must be horrible for her. Suddenly being so strong and fast and deadly,"

Sango shook her head, and then it shot up. "Oh, Kami," she gasped.

"Sango, my love," pled Miroku, falling to his knees in front of his shocked and pale fiancée. "What is the matter?"

She looked down at him, warmth rushing through her at the look of concern at his eyes, almost washing away the cold tendrils of worry. "It may be nothing, but, during this process, the demon goes through their very first, uh, heat…" she faded off, looking into his eyes.

The violet orbs she was staring at widened. "So, Kagome will be…"

Sango grinned embarrassedly. "Very, very aggressively lusty."

"I, as a man, fail to see how that would be a problem."

"It's not, really, as long as we can count on Sesshoumaru's self-control," she said. "But she will be very… ravage-able, for a while after. And very fertile. I don't think our Kagome could handle a baby right now, on top of all the other things. Especially not if Sesshoumaru loses control and does something they'll both regret."

"I see," said Miroku thoughtfully. "I think we can count on Lord Sesshoumaru's self-control, for now, but maybe we should not mention this to Inu Yasha?"

"Agreed."

After that, they fell into a comfortable silence, occasionally punctuated by a half-hearted slap by Sango, becoming less and less determined as the night wore on. She fell asleep holding his wrists, head resting on his thigh.

He smiled down at her and let his head nod back against the bark. This was a good start.


	7. The Taste Of Blood

Alright, this is my third chapter today, although I doubt I'll get it done before I pass out. I'm a sleeper.

Yay, though, for finally having some motivation!

On to chapter seven, then.

--

Both Kagome and Sesshoumaru were incredibly confused and angry, and, although they were on two separate sides of the forest, both having run as far away from the other as possible, for much the same reasons.

Kagome was angry at Sesshoumaru for being such an unpredictable dickhead, and confused because she really had enjoyed their… whatever you'd call it. Make-out session. She shuddered at the phrase.

Sesshoumaru was also angry at Sesshoumaru for being such an unpredictable dickhead, although quite not in those terms. He had not thought, or planned, or made any rational decision when it came to the demon-miko-wench-thing. He growled at himself for not even being able to categorize her. She had come on to him, and he had pounced, without even thinking about how it would end up.

He was angry at her, too, no doubt about that. She had intentionally made him want her, sabotaging his very being, but he was sure that this weakness was something surrounding him.

Even though he was angry, he too was deeply confused, for he as well had deeply enjoyed the kiss they had shared. The flavor of the miko's lips was enough to keep his pants uncomfortable tight for the rest of the night, and he refused to touch himself in any way. He would pay for his own stupidity.

While Sesshoumaru was punishing himself physically, however, Kagome berated herself verbally and mentally. She had been being a bitch, leading him on only to back out. She had been thinking to just turn him on and run away, punish him for dropping her and being such a butt munch. Shaking her head at having used 'butt munch,' she carried on beating herself up. All Sesshoumaru had been doing was helping her, in the only way he knew how, and she, drunk with power, went and tortured him.

She deserved to have been kissed like that, even if, in the back of her mind, she wanted more. She would not give in to her slutty desires, she decided. She would not use Sesshoumaru any more. And if it drove her mad wanting him, so be it. She deserved it.

And so they both fell asleep, much closer in mind than either could have expected, swearing to avoid the other at all costs.

--

When she awoke, Kagome yawned, stretched, and smiled in wonder that she wasn't about to throw up or have a seizure or fly into a tree or something equally unpleasant. She smiled even harder when she felt the taut stretch of her muscles, as she remembered that all the unpleasantness had lead to her being able to do nearly anything. She leapt up into a tree, did a flip around a branch, and somersaulted to the ground, rolling into a handstand. She laughed aloud. She had never gotten to use her new strengths with Sesshoumaru around.

The thought of him, however, brought a bitter twang to her chest. She would have to apologize, she decided. There was no way that she could live with herself having hurt him so badly. She cracked her knuckles, and her stomach rumbled.

Realizing that Sesshoumaru had done most of the hunting for her, she grimaced. He had been better to her than she had noticed. She decided to fetch herself some food and then bring him some to share, as a peace offering. She liked that idea.

She bent over, going into a crouch as she let her senses inspect the forest. She smelled a deer, not too far away, and could hear the lazy crunch of its teeth against a few blades of grass. She grinned, a new, predatory grin that was strange on her face but felt right for the moment. Her fangs sizzled with acid, and she ran, quicker than any deer could possibly hope, to her target.

She flicked her claws out and into its flank, but held back, she wanted to chase this one. Pulling onto all fours, strangely easy for her demon body, she took flight as the deer fled, its blood lacing the air with the scent of metal and a draining life force. She cut it off, flinging an acid whip into its side, slicing a thin layer of skin off. She laughed, a disturbing half growl, and chased on.

--

Sesshoumaru awoke and nearly choked at the smell of her, still caught in his clothes and hair. He needed to bathe. He quickly found a hot spring, but remembered it as the one where he had first seen Kagome naked. He shook his head and set off to find another.

Within fifteen minutes, he had found no other spring, but he did find a small creek that did nicely. The cold water would wash her scent and any bad thoughts away. He stripped down, washing his clothes carefully before shaking them dry, then scouring his body for any trace of her. The sharp grit of his soap was almost unbearable, but he couldn't think of using hers, not considering where it had been, and he knew the roughness was grinding her away.

He cleansed himself quickly and dragged his raw, dripping body out of the stream, shaking dry and plaiting his hair back. It would not dry for hours, and he had better things to do. He needed to make sure the woman was alright, preferably without being detected. He grimaced. She would have been so much easier when she was a human.

Then he caught a whiff of her scent, and anger filled him again. Had she not haunted him enough, that her scent would not wash out of his skin? Or was it just leaking from the soil, and the mother earth herself was out to get him? He growled and tried to identify the source of the smell. A crash behind him alerted him to her presence. It was actually her. He groaned inwardly. Confrontation was not what he needed right now, especially if he had really been at such loose ends as to think the earth was actually oozing her scent just to mock him.

He turned, and saw one of the most terrifying, saddening things he had ever seen.

--

Kagome had run her prey ragged in a half an hour of racing and small wounds. Its blood flowed slowly out of numerous cuts, some of which had spattered onto her face and hands during close catches. Now, though, she stumbled onto even bigger prey, and her heart quickened. This one would be a fight.

Sesshoumaru looked up just in time to see Kagome grin at him, fangs bared, before she pounced. He was therefore too shocked to defend himself when she sunk her claws into his chest, deer forgotten, and ripped across his belly, deep enough for bleeding without immediate death. She licked her claws daintily, snapping him out of his stupor.

"Miko!" he bellowed, although she seemed more interested in the taste of his blood, as she dipped a finger into a cut and sucked on it thoughtfully.

And indeed she was interested, as she had never tasted blood like this. She had often sucked the blood out of cuts on her fingers, or tasted it when she bit her tongue, but none of this compared to the flavor she was experiencing now.

It was tangy, and the metallic salt she had tasted before was masked by the sweet flavor of her prey. She could taste his heritage, his power, all lain out before her in dripping red lines. She lowered her head to the scratches on his chest and licked, and, even though he was certain he was about to be killed, Sesshoumaru thanked the Kami for letting him do this shirtless. Even if she was crazy with bloodlust, and, Sesshoumaru now remembered, the intoxicating flavor of first blood, it was a surprisingly sexual moment.

"Kagome," he moaned, half in pain, half in pleasure.

She licked her lips, and froze.

"Kagome?" he called, seeing the red fade from her eyes.

She looked down at him and gasped. "Oh, Sesshou, what have I done to you? Are you alright? Oh, Kami!" Tears rolled freely down her cheeks as she saw bone through the gashes across his ribcage.

"Miko, this Sesshoumaru is fine," he grumbled, which only served to make her weep harder, wrapping her arms around him and pulling his body to hers. He winced.

"Oh, Sesshou!" she cried, and he found this new nickname both annoying and sweet. It seemed all it took was a flesh wound and the woman was completely back to her old self.

"Miko," he groaned, as the salty tears began splashing on his open wounds, "I remember this stage of things well, and it is alright. I can overcome wounds much greater than this. Stop crying."

This, however, only served to make her cry harder. "I nearly killed you! You've been so nice, for you, and I nearly ate you, and my mouth still, oh, Kami, Sesshou. Are you sure you're alright? Should we go get help?"

"Kagome!" he yelled, coughing gently as the effort hurt him a bit. "This Sesshoumaru is fine! You could have done a lot worse, and you overcame your bloodlust at a rather impressive speed. Calm down. And for the love of all that is good, stop crying, wench."

It was the 'wench' that did it. The tears stopped, and she looked into his eyes, fury seeping in where there had been regret and guilt. He grinned at her, a real, true grin. He had finally gotten a good reaction out of her. "Now carry me back to camp, woman. I need food and a bandage, and you can't expect me to do all that by myself."

He smiled charmingly at her, and winced dramatically, and she frowned jokingly at him, laughter permeating the watery sadness of her blue pools. She picked him up bridal style, grunting at the 'effort,' and toted him back to camp, where she made quick work of his bandages.

"What about food?" he asked, looking at her imploringly.

Terror flooded through her, and her fists tightened in fear.

He smelled her acrid horror. "Do not worry, miko. The bloodlust has been satisfied, and will not return unless you release your beast."

She smiled timidly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She headed off, catching a rabbit with surgical ease and detachment. They roasted it over a fire, and had a merry meal, or at least as merry as one could get with Sesshoumaru. They talked about literature, and academics, and nature, and Sesshoumaru found her surprisingly well learned.

"Miko, how do you know these things? I did not know human women were educated, let alone so well as to compete with the demon lords," queried Sesshoumaru, and Kagome frowned guiltily.

"I haven't been completely honest," she said quietly, and he leaned forward to comfort her. "But you may not believe the truth."

"I will. There cannot be many things too strange to explain how you do so many things unknown in anyone else."

"Well," she said, "they're not really unknown to other people… they're just not around yet."

"What do you mean, yet?" he asked, honestly curious.

"Sesshoumaru, I'm from the future" she said.

"Ah," he said, rather breathily. "That explains things." And then he fell over, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

--

Ooh, cliffie.

I'm usually not so evil, but I'm tired.

I may hit you up tomorrow.

I hope.

Enjoy?

R&R?


	8. Sexual Healing

Whoo. This is a long one!

And lemon-limey.

Rejoice.

--

Last time…

"I haven't been completely honest," she said quietly, and he leaned forward to comfort her. "But you may not believe the truth."

"I will. There cannot be many things too strange to explain how you do so many things unknown in anyone else."

"Well," she said, "they're not really unknown to other people… they're just not around yet."

"What do you mean, yet?" he asked, honestly curious.

"Sesshoumaru, I'm from the future" she said.

"Ah," he said, rather breathily. "That explains things." And then he fell over, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

--

Kagome almost screamed, refraining only for his sake, running to his side and plunging to her knees next to him.

"Sesshoumaru," she whispered, pulling at his clothes, trying to figure out what was wrong. "Please don't be dead, you can't die, it's my fault, please."

His chest heaved up once, and a cough escaped him. "Not dead yet."

She inhaled excitedly, leaning over him, but his eyes had closed and his breathing was labored. She looked down at his rumpled kimono and saw a spot of red. She yanked it open, revealing the bandages slowly soaking darker and darker with his blood.

"Oh, Kami, Sesshou," she gasped. "What…"

"Venom," huffed Sesshoumaru, and she looked at him questioningly before her eyes locked onto the gashes along his torso.

Tears welled up in her eyes again. Her venom was keeping his wounds from healing, and probably coursing through his veins and harming every other part of him as well. Her stomach dropped with guilt and worry. He had said that he could recover, but maybe her poison was too strong for him, stronger than he could accept.

She looked down further curiously. One of the scratches seemed to be healthier, like the venom didn't affect it as much, and it dawned on her: her saliva was the antidote. She had licked one of his cuts as she relished his flavor, could she not do that now?

Sesshoumaru had just braced himself to tell her to go away so he could heal when the most curious sensation worked its way up from his chest. He couldn't see Kagome any more, with his head thrown back, but he could feel what she was doing, and he rather liked it. She was licking his wounds. He felt as the antivenin slipped through his flesh and slowly spread through him, healing the burning flesh. His mind, which had been groggy with pain and poison, cleared, and he lifted his head to see what she was doing.

He was amazed. She had thrown his shirt open wide, and her pink tongue laved slowly over every inch of each gash, first nullifying the poisons, then going through with more careful strokes to heal them completely. Sesshoumaru had never seen someone heal a wound with their tongue, and he was impressed. Forefront in his mind, now that the pain had gone, was the immense pleasure she was now stirring in him.

Kagome, too, was enjoying her work now that the wounds were mostly healed. Her taste buds were still on hyper drive, and he was delicious. His chest labored under her tongue from what she assumed was still pain, and so she continued, determined to drive every last bit of discomfort from his body or to lick him until he stopped her. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru grabbed her hand, and she looked up, sadly thinking he wanted her to stop. She looked straight into his eyes as he grabbed hold of her index finger, delicately slicing a line down his chest from his collarbone.

"Oops," he said, his voice now low and gravelly.

Her eyes sparkled. Moving to a more comfortable position, now that this clearly wasn't life or death anymore, she bent down and touched her tongue to the new cut, watching as his eyes rolled back and his chest rose to greet her. She wondered, for a second, how they had gotten into this situation again, but that slipped away in the flavor of his blood and his skin, and in the noises he made. He let out little growls and yips, his arms moving up to touch her as she moved up the wound to his collarbone. His hands caressed her back, slipping motionlessly across her skin and awakening wonderful sensations.

His claw snagged on her strap, and he sliced it, accidentally catching a small amount of skin along with. She gave a little yelp, but was determined to finish her job here. She licked the cut firmly, tracing from bottom to top with her tongue spread almost flat, and he flipped her over onto her back. She made a little moan of surprise, but his tongue on the slice just above her breast silenced her immediately. He healed that cut quickly, and moved over to the other side, slicing that strap more carefully but licking her all the same.

Now they were completely lost in each other, hands roaming and touching, both understanding the other's intentions and choosing to comply. Their tongues slid across each other's, and across their skin, and everywhere they wanted. Claws caught and ripped fabric away from tingling skin, occasionally leaving scratches that only heightened their moods.

Soon they were almost naked, lying entangled in each other. All that remained were their undergarments, spared by a common desire to make sure the other wasn't being lured in against their will. Kagome looked into his eyes and saw a lust that mirrored her own, and he could read in hers that she wanted this as much as he did. They understood that there was a strange magnetism between them, and they were sick of resisting.

Their claws simultaneously sliced their partner's last stitches of clothing, letting them fall to the forest floor in the pile that had formed a rather nice makeshift bed beneath them. He laid her down gently, smelling her for signs of worry or fear. He smelled none, but a new smell reached his nose and he gaped at her. There, underneath the smell of desire, was the smell of her purity. He would be her first, he thought, and his beast deep inside purred.

She stretched out on the ground, widening her legs and awaiting his entrance. She wanted him. Badly. She saw his nostrils flare, and then, without warning, his face slid away from hers and down, licking her bellybutton as it passed, landing on a spot she had only dreamed of a man reaching.

He licked that special bundle and her knees quaked, her head falling back as his fingers prepared her for something larger. He found the resistance of her virginity, flicking it away almost painlessly, and she gasped as his tongue rubbed away the last of the discomfort. She moaned again as he slid back up her body, kissing her passionately as their bodies fed off of each other, moving slowly in the rhythm of the ages.

She ground her hips against his and pulled his pelvis close, feeling the pressure of his need. She slid a hand down along his back and pulled him closer, allowing claws to gently graze his skin. He had just aligned himself at her entrance, pressing against her and preparing to enter, when they heard familiar voices echoing through the forest. They froze.

--

Inu Yasha had finally caught Sesshoumaru's scent earlier that morning, and had followed it to the clearing near the cave. It was there that they found Kagome's bag, as well as her medicine kit. Inu Yasha sniffed. "I smell blood."

Everyone in the group gasped, looking for anything that would tell them what had happened, but it was Jaken who spoke next. "This is the scent of Lord Sesshoumaru's blood," he croaked. "Even my weak nose can smell that."

Inuyasha laughed, "Sesshoumaru doesn't get hurt."

"Oh, he does, although very rarely," said Jaken. "It must have been a great foe to have drawn so much blood from my lord."

Inu Yasha paled. If this demon could draw blood from Sesshoumaru, what could it have done to Kagome?

"We need to find them," said Sango, and they all nodded. They spread out, calling Kagome's name.

--

"Oh, fuck" said Kagome, pulling the shreds of her clothes up over her body. Although Sesshoumaru had no wish other than to drag her off to some other location and continue, he knew his bastard half-brother would continue interrupting their good times until he saw that the miko was alive and well.

He tossed Kagome his outer kimono and obi, rising to stand between her and the incoming crowd as she got dressed. He would not allow any other to see this miko in such a state of undress, especially not his baka half-brother or that perverted monk. She quickly tossed it on and slid up next to him, placing a hand on his chest and looking into his golden eyes.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Sesshoumaru was flabbergasted. She was concerned about his well being and personal comfort even as she was about to confront her friends with her fresh demon powers and her look of just having been ravaged. He smiled.

"Yes, Kagome," he replied, her name rolling off of his tongue in a way that made her melt a little inside. "And you?"

"I'll be fine," she declared, and squared her shoulders.

"You may want to remove the forest floor from your hair before you meet your friends," said Sesshoumaru with a grin, "lest they get the wrong impression."

Kagome was so enthralled by his smile that she barely heard what he was saying. It was beautiful, and she felt herself melt a little more. Only as he reached out and plucked several leaves, twigs, and a sprig of berries from her hair did it register that he was laughing at her and not with her. She stuck out a tongue, and he grabbed it delicately with two fingers.

"Haven't we discovered better uses for that, little miko?"

She flushed, and was churning through all the possible sassy retorts when Inu Yasha burst through the foliage.

"What's that supposed to mean, ya prick?" he demanded, and Kagome would have burst into giggles if it was anyone other than her. She decided to flush horribly and mentally beg the earth to swallow her whole instead.

Sango and Miroku stumbled through the brush, then, followed by Jaken dragging Ah Un and the children. Kikyo stepped through last, with more dignity than any of her predecessors, and the group was reunited at last. Shippou leapt from the saddle, barreling into Kagome's arms, but was stopped midair by one magenta-striped hand. He dangled limply from Sesshoumaru's arm as Kagome glared at the two of them.

Sesshoumaru grunted. "Reflex," he said, and tossed the kit through the air, Kagome fielding him with more grace than anyone had ever seen her possess.

"Shippou!" she cried, cuddling her adoptive son. "I missed you!"

Shippou, still rather rattled from his adventure through the air, just hugged her. Over his shoulder, she spotted Miroku and Sango's curious faces, and remembered that not only had she become a full demon in the time since she had seen them, but she was also dressed in nothing but Sesshoumaru's kimono. She looked around, seeing that said daiyoukai had managed to hide the tattered and lust-soaked remnants of their tattered clothing, and sighed with relief, mouthing 'I'll tell you later' at Sango.

"My lord!" came the sudden cry of Rin, who had apparently been taking a nap and had woken to find the hunt over. "And lady Kagome!" She scrambled down from the dragon's back and bowed to Sesshoumaru before hugging Kagome's legs.

"Lady Kagome is pretty as a demon!" she exclaimed, and Shippou nodded. Kagome blushed.

"It's just me, guys. I haven't changed that much, have I?"

"Yes, milady!" cried Rin, and this time the whole group nodded. A wrinkle appeared between Kagome's brows. Rin hugged her leg again. "Now, Lady Kagome is almost as pretty as lord Sesshoumaru!"

Inu Yasha snorted.

"No way!" yelled Shippou. "Kagome is way prettier than Lord Sesshoumaru!" He scrambled down Kagome's legs, and the two chased each other off into the woods, arguing and giggling, Jaken chasing after them.

Kagome smiled, and turned back towards her friends to see them all, except for Sesshoumaru, staring at her like she'd grown a third eye.

"What?" she demanded.

"Kagome, what happened? Why did Sesshoumaru take you from us?" asked Sango.

"And why are you not wearing… your usual outfit?" Miroku asked, almost tactfully.

"And why do you smell like Sesshoumaru, blood, and sex?" demanded Inu Yasha.

Kagome's face once again flooded with color, but Sesshoumaru stepped in. "Although I cannot explain Kagome's demon-hood, I can explain the rest."

"Oh, please do," snorted Inu Yasha, folding his arms across his chest.

"I took the miko for her own protection," he stated, the ice that had disappeared from his voice during his time with Kagome creeping back in. "The maturing of a demon is a painful and confusing time, and Kagome went from having no demonic power at all to a very high level. It is a challenge no demon has ever faced. I took it upon myself to care for the miko, so as to keep her and yourselves safe."

Inu Yasha scoffed. "And why would you do that?"

Sesshoumaru looked at his half brother disdainfully. "I had a debt to repay. Would you like me to answer your other questions, or are you going to continue to interrupt me?"

Inu Yasha remained silent.

"The miko decided to take a bath in a nearby hot spring, where she was assaulted by a boar demon, who attempted to have his way with her," explained Sesshoumaru, and Kagome smiled inwardly at the sly demon across the clearing. It was not a lie, but definitely not the truth. "I came in time to save her, although the creature got a blow in edgewise before Kagome purified it. It destroyed her clothes, and I gave her my kimono. She smells of the boar's lust and my blood, and my scent on my own kimono is expected, yes?"

Inu Yasha looked frustrated at the rational explanation. "Why'd you have to loan her yours?" he whined.

"Would you prefer she wander around naked?" asked Sesshoumaru. Kagome's keen eyes caught the slight tug at the corners of his mouth, indicating that there was nothing he would enjoy more than stealing her clothes for the rest of time.

Inu Yasha flushed, and Miroku, sensing that there might be violence if Inu Yasha were allowed to think of a comeback. "Well," he said with all the nonchalance he could muster, "we have found lady Kagome, I think perhaps we should set up camp before it gets dark?"

The gang nodded in agreement, and soon they were all fed and happily chatting around the fire, unaware of the sexual tension that raged between their best friend and the demon sitting next to her, both of whom were aware that they would be unable to sneak away any time soon.

--

Hehe!

I liked this one.

Stuff's gonna take a turn towards the dramatic, now!


	9. Causes and Effects

Alright!

I'm trying to wind this shit down, but I don't think it's going to go quietly.

I think it's time for some plot, though. And maybe some more lemon (Oh, please, let me manage some lemon!).

I apologize for all the sections in this, it's all dreams and flashbacks and whatnot.

Oh, and look! Lemony slash! I do love me some man on man. If it bothers you, I apologize. It's actually kinda freaking me out. This is my first slash, and it's rather… intense.

I love the reviews, by the way, thank you all! I'm slipping some props in for commenters who inspire me.

And I really do seem inspired. Holy crap, this is almost twice my usual.

--

As Kagome slept, Sesshoumaru watched, looking down on her with warm golden eyes. He felt strange about her, even without the sexual tension, and tonight was just confusing him further. He had found her an acceptable human, and as a demon she was flawless. She had not seen herself change, he had realized this when she had been talking with Rin, so she must not know how her new appearance could affect a male.

She looked the same when it came to basics, and he had to acknowledge that her beauty came from her naturally and not from whatever had changed her. Even so, her demonic refinements had changed her from beautiful to stunning.

Her eyes, which he had been so caught in at first that he hadn't noticed anything else, were the deepest and most beautiful blue he had ever seen, changing hues with her moods. Her skin, which had always been smooth and bronze, was now looked like she had been carved out of alabaster and dusted with gold. Across her cheekbones ran two pale pink stripes, the same color as her lips, much like Sesshoumaru's but so entirely feminine that he could barely resist kissing them every time he saw them.

She had grown, as well, a beautifully proportional goddess where there had once been a cute teenage girl, and her hair had lengthened to swish gently across her rear; that toned ass that Sesshoumaru deeply wanted to hold in his hands and squeeze. She radiated power, and purity, and that joy that she had been known for the instant she appeared in this land.

Sesshoumaru had to acknowledge that he wanted her, but he couldn't just chalk it up to her demonic beauty. She was kind, and wholesome, and so completely confusing just when he thought he could read her, and he couldn't resist her. He sighed and looked around the campfire, for, if his nose was correct, he was not the only one repressing his urges.

His eyes first landed on the monk and the exterminator. She appeared to have accustomed herself to sleeping with her head in his lap, although, by the look on the monk's face, it was not the easiest for him to resist her with her mouth so close to his manhood. Sesshoumaru smiled, knowing no one could see him in the gloom. The pair would not be separate for long, for her hand had tangled in his robe in a way that clearly indicated she wanted him, too.

His eyes next moved to his brother and the clay woman, whose scents intermingled in a strange way. His brother's traces were not those of lust, he could smell, and nor were hers. She smelled of an extinguished fire and the roots of a water lily, and it was strangely pleasant, if not the usual scent of a living being. He wondered why his brother remained with the creature, if he did not love her. He had certainly had a chance with Kagome, who he recalled fawning over the idiot whenever he was near.

The thought made his hands tighten into fists. Inu Yasha had had his chance, and he had blown it. Sadness crept into Kagome's eyes whenever she looked at him, just a little, and Sesshoumaru was almost positive that it wouldn't happen. He hoped it wouldn't, anyway.

He turned a little bit and nearly choked. There, against Ah Un's belly, Shippou and Rin were curled together like lovers. He could smell no bad intent in either of the two, and he supposed it was cute, but he would have to remember to keep an eye on the little kitsune. He looked to be around seven, but, by Sesshoumaru's estimation, was probably closer to forty. He just hoped the little one hadn't learned too much during his travels.

He looked back at Kagome, the kit's mother, and stroked her brow. It creased beneath his hand, and her whole body began to glow.

--

Kagome dreamt of Sesshoumaru, holding her in his arms as they flew over Japan, the wind blowing through their hair as he leaned down and kissed her. They landed in a clearing, and he lay her down. She vaguely recognized the place, but she didn't really care. His lips on hers were good enough. She wrapped her hands in his hair, and he pulled away gently.

"Kagome," he said, "do you know where we are?"

She sat up, looking around. They were in the field where they had had the final battle with Naraku.

"Why are we here?"

"There are some things you need to know," he whispered, and kissed her forehead. It burned, and where his lips had been pressed light shot out. The light shone so hard that he glowed, and when it calmed there was a woman in his place.

"Do you remember me, Kagome?" she asked, and suddenly Kagome remembered everything. Midoriko smiled, and poked Kagome in the forehead.

--

Kagome sat up quickly, smacking Sesshoumaru in the face with her forehead along the way. She burst into tears, and he wrapped her in his arms. The rest of the group, who had been rather stunned at the fact that Kagome's forehead was glowing, were now attempting to recollect their jaws from the ground as the Ice Lord, who had a lovely bump now perfectly centered inside his crescent moon, cuddled Kagome.

"Kagome!" cried Inu Yasha, springing to her side. He tried to move Sesshoumaru's hands, but eventually gave up and settled next to her, awkwardly patting her back.

She looked up at her friends, crowding around her. "I know what happened to me," she gasped.

"So?" demanded Inu Yasha. "How is that a bad thing?"

"Sit, boy!" she cried, and as he attempted to drag himself out of the newest crater, she began.

--

When the complete jewel had first touched Kagome, it had tipped the scales on the battle that had been being waged inside the crystal prison ever since its creation. Her beautiful purity had joined with Midoriko's, and together they had defeated the demons. The jewel had sunk into Kagome's heart, finally ready to go home, but Midoriko had known that it was not quite pure. Her power, now free from the eternal battle, had allowed her to speak directly to Kagome.

"Kagome, there are a few things I need you to do before I go to my rest," she said, her deep voice ringing through Kagome's mind.

"Anything," said Kagome.

"You must fix the happenings in this time."

"How so?"

"The clay woman must not live, and you cannot be here, either. Her soul must move on to create you, and your presence in this time is a danger to everything we fight for."

Tears simmered to the rims of Kagome's eyes. She had known, in the back of her mind, that she would have to leave, but she had prayed that she was just being paranoid. Now, laid out in front of her, it was a horrible fate. Her friends were all here, and everything she enjoyed, and she would leave Inu Yasha completely alone, without either incarnation.

She had battled with Kikyo, and had no will to kill her.

"She must be sent to rest," insisted Midoriko. She will know when the time comes.

Kagome sighed, steeling herself for her one last chore as the errand boy of fate.

"There is one last thing," said Midoriko. "The demons are dead, but they are not gone. Their bodies remain, as do their powers, and the jewel cannot be at rest with such dark inside of it."

"What do we do?" asked Kagome, hoping to god that this wouldn't be another huge task that would force her closer to the land she would have to leave.

"Here is where your choice lies, Kagome," said Midoriko. We can leave them inside, and wait for some great purity enough to purify their collective energy, or we can find a vessel for their youki, one that is pure enough to contain it without being overcome."

"Inu Yasha has always wanted to be a full demon…" began Kagome, but Midoriko cut her off.

"Inu Yasha cannot contain his own demon blood. So much power would destroy him. We need you, Kagome."

"Well then, of course I'll do it!" said Kagome, surprised but determined.

"You would sacrifice your humanity to finish this?"

"Of course. What is my life to that of another?"

Midoriko had looked into Kagome's heart, and had felt the truth. Her heart had wept for what she was going to do to this pure, innocent soul.

"I will allow you time," she said, "to accustom yourself to the changes. As soon as you are finished, I expect you to handle all loose ends in this time and return to yours, before your time claims you forcibly."

Kagome had nodded. "I accept."

--

Sango wrapped her arms around Kagome, the girl that had been a sister to her for more years than she could count, although it was awkward with Sesshoumaru there, holding her just as tightly. Miroku crouched behind her, stroking the back of the woman he loved and looking down on Kagome. He could not stand the thought of one girl holding so much on her shoulders.

Kikyo, in the background, understood, and stepped forward. She knelt in front of Kagome, placing a hand on her knee. "There is nothing here for me, if in my death I will give you life. Please, I do not belong on this earth. Free me."

Inu Yasha stood up, head bobbing in confusion. "Kikyo, what? What are you doing? What about us?"

Kikyo looked at him, her large eyes shining with conviction in the same way that Kagome's often did. "Inuyasha, you may think you love me, but you love the memories and the feeling of fulfilling your promises. You will get over me, and it was my time to leave long ago."

She stared into Kagome's eyes, pleading, and Kagome nodded. The two faces that had once looked so alike now stared at each other. Kagome raised a hand and placed it on Kikyo's shoulder. "I am sorry to do this," she said, "but if it's what you want?"

Kikyo nodded, and a tear slipped down Kagome's face as her claw slid down between Kikyo's collar bone and shoulder, pumping poison into her veins and releasing the soul that had been trapped for so long. Kikyo smiled peacefully, and then crumbled into dust and blew away on the wind.

Inu Yasha shook his head in disbelief, and ran off into the forest.

--

As he ran, he caught a familiar scent, and groaned. All he needed was the mangy wolf pawing around, asking about Kagome, when all Inu Yasha wanted to do was forget she existed.

One salty tear ran down his face, although he felt little more than regret for not having been able to protect her. Hadn't he sworn he always would? How could he let one his friends do something so cruel. He felt sick. Was this all he could muster for her? Indignation and hurt pride?

And she had said that he hadn't even loved her. What was that about? He scowled. How could she challenge his love? He had shown it to her, he knew that, and she was made of dirt. He could much easier love someone made of hot, living flesh, but he had loved her as clay.

As the anger built over the sadness, Kouga broke through the forest cover.

"Dogbreath!" he called happily, sauntering over to Inu Yasha's still form. "What's up?"

Inu Yasha punched him in the jaw. "Kagome killed Kikyo."

Kouga swept Inu Yasha's feet out from under him. "Kagome?"

Flipping back to his feet, Inu Yasha roundhouse kicked Kouga in the face, "Yes. Kikyo asked for it."

Kouga staggered back, drawing his sword, "She asked for it?"

Inu Yasha drew Tetsusaiga. "She said she needed to move on, and that there was nothing left for her here."

"Ouchville, puppy," crowed Kouga, parrying and swinging his sword back towards Inu Yasha.

Inu Yasha struck harder, battering Kouga's sword with blow after blow. "I just don't get it," he grunted. "It's not like I didn't… show her, you know?"

Kouga pushed him off, sword clanging. "Maybe you weren't that good!" he chuckled.

Inu Yasha roared, flipping over Kouga and drawing his sword across the wolf's neck. "I was damn good, wolf," he said, aggressively thrusting his hips against his opponent. What he did not expect, however, was the wolf's response. Instead of a surrender, or a frantic attack, the dark head lolled back onto Inu Yasha's shoulder and let out a tiny moan, ass grinding gently against the previously threatening pelvis.

Inu Yasha let go, and the two spun to face each other in the middle of the clearing, Inu Yasha trying not to look at the erection that had appeared beneath the wolf's loincloth. Something was off here, he decided. "If you're so sexually apt, then," asked Kouga, interrupting his thoughts, "why choose the clay pot?"

Inu Yasha was quiet for a moment, then knocked Kouga's sword out of his hands and pushed him up against a tree, package a safe distance from his opponent's this time. "None of your business, wolf. But, if you must know, I promised her I would always love and protect her."

Kouga laughed, distracting Inu Yasha enough that he could break free, putting the tree in between him and the angry dog demon. "Then you didn't love her, really. You were with her out of duty."

Inu Yasha charged around the tree, only to be smacked in the forehead with a thick branch that Kouga had managed to pick up off the ground. He fell onto his back and groaned. "I did, though," he mumbled, rubbing his head, but now he wasn't sure.

"Nope," said Kouga bluntly. "I know the feeling, chasing someone out of duty. You just wanted to make her happy and keep your promise, right? You didn't really care about her; her look, her scent, her constant attempts to kill you. Come on, puppy, you can do better than that!" He pulled Inu Yasha up by the shirt and threw him back against a tree.

Inu Yasha couldn't help but find some logic in that, but he refused to admit it to the mangy wolf. "Feh," he grunted, "you don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, don't I?" asked Kouga with a smile, and Inu Yasha couldn't help but notice how perfect that smile was. It lit up his blue eyes, and those sharp fangs glistened in the moonlight as the wolf approached. "Did you ever scream her name to the moon, Inu Yasha? Did you lust for her so hard that you came the instant she touched you… just… there?" The wolf's tone had dropped from his normal joking to a deep gravely honey tone, and Inu Yasha couldn't help but wonder. He had never felt that way about Kikyo, it was true.

"Maybe," he managed, brain fuzzy from the strange situation.

"Maybe." Laughed the wolf, a deep, silky laugh. "Maybe you've been looking in the wrong places."

With that, Kouga's lips crashed to meet his, and Inu Yasha moaned. This wolf was so different from Kikyo's cold, needy presses or Kagome's innocent pecks. A rough tongue reached out and parted his lips, invading his mouth. Inu Yasha rubbed his tongue across the newcomer, and Kouga moaned into him. Inu Yasha smiled against the wolf's mouth. He had some power over this crazy demon.

He let his hands drift over the wolf's body, one reaching up and releasing his short ponytail before tangling in rich, black hair, while the other slid down his back and wrapped around the base of the other male's tail. Kouga moaned again, deeper this time, and Inu Yasha broke free from his mouth, laying kisses instead on the wolf's neck and jaw.

He may have paused to consider the wrongness of what has happening, had it not felt so perfect and wonderful when the wolf slid his hand down his chest and tweaked his nipples, or when that hand slid further down and undid his hakamas, wrapping around the fully hard shaft that had been awaiting his touch.

Inu Yasha, so thoroughly pleased by the sensation threw his head back and moaned, and the hand that had been tangled in Kouga's hair came free to find a way to remove the wolf's clothing, as well. A few well placed strokes with a claw later, and they were both naked, braced against a tree.

"Are you alright with this, puppy?" panted Kouga, looking deep into Inu Yasha's eyes.

"Never been better," moaned Inu Yasha, thrusting into Kouga's hand in rhythm with his words.

With that, Kouga spun Inu Yasha around, bending him over and placing his hands against the tree. Inu Yasha realized what was going to happen, but was too lost in the sensation of Kouga's hand around him to care as a finger slid inside of him, preparing him. The finger reached, an uncomfortable pressure deep inside, and suddenly hit a spot that made Inu Yasha's world go white. He bucked into the finger, and Kouga added another and wiggled them around. Inu Yasha felt himself stretching painfully, but all he wanted was for that spot to be touched again.

"Kouga," he panted, "please."

"Almost there, Inu Yasha," came the gasping reply, and then a third finger entered. He gasped as they disappeared and something pressed against him that seemed infinitely bigger. It slid in, stretching slowly as it pressed against Inu Yasha in a way that he had never imagined would feel so right. He felt Kouga's package press against his ass, and knew that he was all the way in. He wiggled uncomfortably, trying to get accustomed to the feeling.

"Inu," moaned Kouga.

"Move," he begged, and Kouga dragged himself out and pounded back in, striking that magic spot once more. He screamed, and he felt his muscles tighten around Kouga, who screamed in return, pumping his hand up and down Inu Yasha's cock as he slammed into him from behind. It didn't take many more hits on that magic spot before Inu Yasha exploded in Kouga's hand, thrusting madly as he reached his climax. Kouga's hot seed shot into him, and they slumped against each other.

Kouga slid out of Inu Yasha, pulling him to the ground on top of their clothes, and hey lay panting, limbs entangled, for a long time. Inu Yasha had never felt so complete, and he nuzzled Kouga's neck before he realized what he was doing. The other male looked down at him, smiling softly.

"Being on the bottom made you girly," he mumbled, clearly teasing. "You'll have to be top next time."

The thought of next time, which should have bothered Inu Yasha deeply, did nothing more than arouse him. He rubbed against Kouga's thigh.

"So soon?"

"Wolf, just because you have no stamina doesn't mean we're all slow!"

"Oh, it's on."

--

I'm gonna stop that there. I'm tired, and that was… wow.


	10. Reality

Alright, redemption for everyone who got so freaked out last chapter.

Damn my affinity for yaoi.

Rawr.

This is gonna be a good one, though, I think.

Only a few chapters left till the end!

--

Inuyasha woke up with a pounding headache and an even more uncomfortable hard-on, sticky inside his hakamas. He rubbed his forehead, where a giant welt had sprung up. He looked down on his clothes, expecting to see the tatters the wolf had left, but they were whole.

"What the fuck happened?" he groaned, and he heard a very unwelcome chuckle from behind him.

"You ran into a tree branch, mutt," came Kouga's voice. "You've been unconscious all night, grumbling and thrashing around creepily."

Inuyasha was stunned, and very uncomfortable. He needed to take care of his little problem before the wolf noticed. The last thing he wanted was for the ookami to realize for whom he was so excited. Inuyasha himself didn't even want to think about it. He shuddered. "Why'd you stay?"

"Meh, bored, wanted to see what'd gotten you so riled up. It's not every day someone sprints head first into a tree."

"I don't wanna talk about it," grumbled Inuyasha. He didn't want to have that conversation again, even if it had lead to such… exciting places. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He couldn't tell if he was disgusted with himself, or if he had actually liked it, and the confusion was driving him insane. He focused on quashing his boner so he could get out of the clearing.

'Alright, Inuyasha,' he said to himself, 'think un-sexy things. Totosai, having sex with Kaede… umm, Jaken… eww, yeah…' He felt himself deflating, and he sighed in relief. Now, he just needed to get out of there. He stood up, swaying a little.

"Alright, wolf. I'm leaving. Kagome and them must be missing me, and I really don't want o be here with you any longer." His heart cringed at the harsh words, but he told it to shut up. He strode briskly past the wolf, freezing in place as he felt a harsh swat on his backside.

"What the…"

Kouga chuckled. "Go on, puppy, but don't try to pretend you are indifferent to me. I may not be Sesshoumaru, but I have ears." He laughed a little more, walking off in the opposite direction.

Inuyasha wanted to throw up. He sat there, perfectly still, embarrassed and confused and trying desperately to regain hold of his masculinity. Yeah, maybe Kouga's touch had tingled just as it had in his dream, but that was nothing. Obviously he was just stressed. He nodded to himself. The stress was getting to him, making him loopy. He began walking back to the group, confident hat he would get over the loss of Kikyo and carry on as a normal male again. Maybe Kagome would get tired of his brother, and realize what she'd had all along! He grinned, loping through the forest happily again.

Then he heard the scream.

--

Kagome had spent the night in Sesshoumaru's arms, crying for Kikyo and Inuyasha, but also for her friends and herself. She had finally found someone who cared for her, and who might even love her, and they were going to be torn apart by some stupid commitment she had made. She knew Sesshoumaru wasn't alive in her era, for she had checked for demonic auras every time she had come back through the well, just in case. His was too strong to hide, and she had never sensed it. It was tearing her apart inside, knowing that she would never see him again, and she just hoped he would be able to move on, so that he wouldn't spend his whole life waiting for her when they would never meet again.

She scoffed at herself. How vain was she, thinking that Sesshoumaru would mourn her loss, or even wait. She knew he liked her, yes, but did he like her enough to waste his whole life waiting? He could find a new mate, and they could have little pups, minus the complications and weirdness of a miko-demon. No, Sesshoumaru would be fine.

Inuyasha, too, could console himself in the fact that she had killed his Kikyo, telling himself she was a murderer and that she wasn't wanted. He would be fine, and maybe find someone to be with, too.

Miroku and Sango, she reminded herself, stilling her tears, had each other, and a married life ahead of them. They wouldn't have time to think of her in the bustle of their many children and marital bliss. They could even take care of Shippou, and he would soon forget her, as all children who lose things do. He might have a ghost of a memory, or maybe a story or two, but he would be fine.

Kagome wrapped these thoughts around herself like a blanket. Everyone would be fine, and once she left the world would be at peace. The only one getting the short end of the stick was her, right? She could handle that. As long as she wasn't causing anyone else pain. More tears fell. She would be miserable, she was sure. She would miss them! She gripped Sesshoumaru's clothes tighter, sobbing now. She would live forever, as a demon, or near enough, without competition or disease, and all she had to look forward to was her human family and friends, who would age and die and she stayed frozen.

Her tears fell to the ground just as the sun rose above the treetops, and, as the light hit her, she screamed. Rousing at the noise, everyone sat up just in time to see her dragged through the trees, backwards, headed towards the well. Sesshoumaru sprang to his feet, chasing after her.

She had dug her feet into the ground and was fighting the pull with everything she had, grabbing branches and clinging on to tree trunks, but was still going very fast. Sesshoumaru ran like he had never run before, all out, arms pumping and chest heaving, and managed to catch on to her, being dragged along by the force that pulled her back to her time. He looked into her eyes, bright with terror, and kissed her.

"I will wait for you," he said, roaming her face with his eyes, memorizing every shape and color. "You promised you would do this, and so I will let you go for now, but know that nothing will ever come between us again. I will find a way to wait, somehow, without you, and the instant you go through that well, look to the skies, for I will be there."

She looked at him, and saw the truth in his eyes. Wishing she hadn't, she looked down. "Sesshoumaru, don't be lonely just for me. Find someone, settle down, and be happy. You have five hundred years ahead of you. Don't waste them on me,"

They had reached the clearing of the bone eater's well, and the force was strong now, straining against their combined defiance. Her eyes pled with him to let her go.

He sighed, and one crystalline tear slid down his cheek, and she marveled at it. It dropped, landing on her chest and sizzling against her skin, leaving a perfect, tiny crescent moon scar in it's wake. "No," he said, and he let her go. She shot down the well, surrounded by the magical blue glow, and lost consciousness.

--

Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Rin, Ah Un, and Jaken had walked to the well, knowing exactly what had happened. Kagome had left them, as they had known she would, but nothing could've prepared them for this. Following the path left by Kagome's destructive attempts at staying, they reached the clearing where Sesshoumaru lay, a fallen statue of an ancient god, eyes staring blankly at the sky. Inuyasha knelt next to him, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder. The moment was beautiful, and was not lost on the rest of the Inutachi.

They had reached peace with each other, through Kagome, and the breeze seemed to caress them in acknowledgement. Their hair, so similar, swirled together, and the sunshine danced on their faces. Sesshoumaru blinked, breathing deeply.

"We will all miss her," he said, not turning his head. "but there may be a way to wait for her."

Sango and Miroku gasped, and Rin and Shippou hugged each other.

Inuyasha looked at his brother oddly. "How?"

Sesshoumaru stood up gracefully. "I will have to do some research. Stay. I will return." He leapt into the air, his youki bubble forming as he shot off into the sun. They set up camp, worriedly pacing, eventually sitting and chattering nervously, then falling into silence as night moved in, poking the fire quietly and staring at the embers. It was not until the next morning that Sesshoumaru reappeared.

"There is a way," he said, and no one could miss the joy in his eyes, "but one of you will have to remain."

They looked around at each other, then back to him. "Why?" demanded Sango. "You expect one of us to stay, and never see Kagome again? Why not you? You're the demon."

Miroku coughed. "Sango, I believe Lord Sesshoumaru is the one of us who most needs to see the Lady Kagome again. Even if he were to stay here, he may not live as long as required. She would be devastated."

They all nodded in agreement, and Sesshoumaru looked smug. "My power is also necessary to the spell. We need someone to guard our hiding place, until we resurface. That is the only way we can hope to survive."

Inuyasha looked at his friends. "I will."

They all looked back on him. "Why?"

"I'm half demon, I can protect it, and I have no real business in Kagome's world. Besides, I still have some friends here, and you all don't." He grinned. "What's the plan, Sessh?"

Sesshoumaru may have smiled, or it may have been a trick of the light. He sat down gracefully on the ground, and began to explain. They all worked late into the night, up until early morning, and soon enough, they were ready.

Sesshoumaru smiled, a real, true smile this time, and clapped his brother on the back. "Are you ready?"

--

Whew!

One more chapter out of the way!

Almost there, guys!

R&R, pleasies. Input is always good!


	11. Present Future

Alright, I'm thinking this might be the end

Alright, I'm thinking this might be the end. We'll see at the bottom, I guess.

Also, this may get to be a lemon. Depending on how I feel.

So, yeah. Let's go.

This is a bit choppy, all divided into sections, but it's a pretty chaotic time, I guess.

--

When Kagome landed at the bottom of the well, her new senses told her everything that she didn't want to know. The magic was gone, she could feel it. The power of the well had worn down, finally, and had only been able to carry her back that one last time. She could also smell her house, and that her mom, Souta, and grandpa had been out for a long while. Maybe a week. She smelled sunscreen and the plastic of swim suits. They had gone on vacation? Then, having opened her nose to that scent, the scents of the rest of her time soon followed. She gagged.

On the air, she could smell everything. There was the smell of car exhaust, clogging her nose, and the neighbor's dog, who really needed to take a bath. She could smell the fertilizer on the lawns and the chemicals in the foods. It was disgusting. She reined in her senses, sympathizing with poor Inuyasha. No wonder he had hated it so much here! She dusted herself off and stood, preparing to leap out of the well, when she stopped. There, tugging against her senses, was youki.

She could sense a demon! Was it Sesshoumaru? She cast her senses around desperately, trying to locate him. He was there, she could feel it, but it felt like he was exactly where she was. She looked up, and around, but couldn't see him. Was she sensing her own youki, reflected back from the well walls? She shook her head, opening her senses further. This was not her power. She sniffed. All she could smell was dust and wood and… earth. She looked down. There was a demon under the well?

She knew it had been used to get rid of the bodies of dead youkai, back in the day, but this felt distinctly alive, even if it was… slow. Peering into the dirt, she decided that it was indeed slower than anything she had ever felt. It pulsed in and out, but at a crawl that was barely noticeable. She knelt. "Sesshoumaru?" It pulsed in response, and she began to dig.

--

The spell on the Inutachi's hiding place had slowed time down to a crawl for them, and, by their calculations, they would have to live in the small room they had created for about three days. When the frantic and dirty face of Kagome burrowed through their ceiling in the middle of day two, breaking their barrier as she fell directly on top of Sesshoumaru, they happily guessed that they had been a bit off in their calculations.

She hugged them all, and gave Sesshoumaru brief but intense kiss, tears streaming down her face, before settling down to listen as they explained what they had done.

--

They had actually based the spell on the one that had been used to seal Inuyasha, weakening it so they could pull themselves out when the time was right. Kaede had helped, along with Sesshoumaru's impressive library, and they had figured out their spell within a day of Kagome's departure.

The magical powers of the well had camouflaged their presence, and between the claws of Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, along with Shippou and Kilala, there was soon a passable home built underneath the well. They had packed their things and jumped in, giving tearful goodbyes to Inuyasha, who promised to meet them in the future. Then, once they were all set, Kaede had sealed them in and set the spell.

Kagome's smile wavered, looking around, as if expecting Inuyasha to materialize. "Where is he?"

They shook their heads, and it was Miroku who responded. "He stayed behind to protect the well. We have no way of knowing where he is, but, I'm sure, lady Kagome, if he is alive, he will find us."

She nodded, eyes shining and moist. "Well," she said, "I guess we'd better get settled in, then!"

--

The events of the afternoon passed in a blur, Kagome bubbling with happiness at her friends' safe arrival. Here, Sango and Miroku could access proper medical care and nutrition, and would live to see their grand children, and maybe even great grand children, growing up without the threat of demons. Shippou and Rin could get a proper education, and would have many friends their own age. Her heart shone as she thought of the possibilities.

After adjusting to the scents of this new time, they had headed inside for a meal cooked by Kagome, wondering at the technology of her time. Even Sesshoumaru was impressed by the water that flowed out of the walls, and the waterless ice that she kept in the tall box. She smiled secretly to herself at the thought of Sesshoumaru trying to figure out the mysteries of the refrigerator.

Finally, however, everyone was settled down, and Kagome had time to relax. She stretched out on the couch, where she would sleep that night. Shippou and Rin were settled in her brother's room, curled up together like sleepy puppies. Jaken, who had adopted Shippou as another ward of Sesshoumaru, was sleeping on a cot just inside their door, just in case. Sango was sleeping in Kagome's mother's room, and Miroku in her grandfather's, although he had tried many times to sneak in and be with his fiancée. Kagome could hear the slaps from her spot on the couch. Ah Un was comfortable under the Goshinboku, and everyone was at peace.

Sesshoumaru walked into the room, finally having finished unloading their things from the well house. He was dusty and covered in spiders, but couldn't have looked happier. He scooped Kagome up in his arms, pulling her on top of him as he slumped down on the couch in a most un-Sesshoumaru-like way. The thought made her freeze.

"Sesshoumaru? What will happen to the western lands? Did you just leave them, to wait for me?"

He chuckled. "This Sesshoumaru is not the only Inu prince in the world, miko. My brother was told to take care of it."

She choked. "Inuyasha?"

He nodded, and grinned at her; that wide, white grin that she loved so much. "Does that please my lady?"

"Very much," she giggled, pulling his face towards hers. It may have only been hours since they had last been so close, but it felt like years. His lips were soft beneath hers, and she scooted up so that she could dominate him more fully. He growled a little, flipping her over and regaining his control, and she smiled into his lips. She nipped his lip, and his youki surged to the surface to greet her sensual attack. Hers responded, and soon their auras were far more entwined than their limbs could ever be, twisting and weaving and tying together in a tapestry of desire and love and respect and awe.

They writhed, claws meeting clothing and shredded fabric meeting the floor. Their skin was hot and slippery as they strove to touch every part of the other that they could reach, warm breath brushing across necks and nipples as they tangled further. Wriggling, Kagome could feel his excitement pressing against her abdomen, but she could also sense it in every other way. His heart was pounding wildly against his ribs, and she could hear the blood rushing to his groin, filling him up and hardening him at her touch. She could smell his sweat taking on the scent of desire and crazed need, and the bitter tang of pre-cum at his tip. She flushed at the intimacy of their moment, and, at that moment, an all too familiar voice rang out behind them.

"Hey, bro! Aren't you gonna come greet your little broth… what the hell?!"

Both Sesshoumaru and Kagome growled at the same time, and Inuyasha burst into screams of laughter. Kagome grabbed a blanked from the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her chest before storming up to Inuyasha and smacking him on the head.

"You'll wake everyone, baka!"

He fell to the floor, still silently laughing as he struggled to explain what the hell was so funny. All Kagome could manage to catch was "couch" "horny teenagers" and "humping", and she demonstrated her displeasure with a swift kick to his kidneys. Sesshoumaru was sulking on the couch, with a throw pillow pressed to his lap and a very sour look on his face.

"Inuyasha," hissed Kagome, "Come back in the morning."

He chuckled, pulling himself up off the floor and stretching his back, laughing to himself as he brushed the lint off of his suit. Kagome looked him over. Since when did Inuyasha wear a suit? And cufflinks?

He grinned at her. "Caught on, I see, Kags! I've changed about five hundred years' worth since you last saw me. Pretty snappy, eh?"

Sesshoumaru grunted. "How did a mere half demon survive for so long?"

Inuyasha grinned again, fangs glinting in the light. "You're not the only one who knows what to do with a sofa, bro," he said enigmatically, and with more than a little smugness, and he flicked a card down on the table. "Call me when you're done… you know."

He sashayed out of the living room, and Kagome smacked her face into her palm. "He always manages to ruin a moment, doesn't he?" she groaned.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "He does have that talent. Shall we sleep, then? I assume everyone will want to see the bastard."

She nodded sullenly, and curled up against his chest.

"Stupid baka Inuyasha, with his stupid suit…" she mumbled, falling asleep quickly in Sesshoumaru's warm embrace.

"Indeed," he whispered, smiling, and he nuzzled his nose into her hair before drifting off as well, too content to dream of anything more than where he was right now.

--

Eww, mooshy.

And I think my muse is satan.

Lemon, wrapping it up, all that next chapter, I think.

Rawrr.

R&R, please and thank you!


	12. The Fireworks At the End

Alright

Alright! I owe everyone an update, since it's been weeks.

Sorry, school's back, eww.

Onwards!

AAH! Finishing it off! Also, LEMON! REAL, LEGITIMATE LEMON! YAAAY!

--

Kagome awoke, as she had been quite often lately, in the warm, surprisingly cuddly embrace of Sesshoumaru. She smiled, squirming deeper into his lap and burying her nose further into his fluff. She inhaled deeply, allowing his spicy scent to wash over her senses, adoration rising in her blood as she felt his presence wrap around her. She heard his eyes slide open, and looked up to greet him, smile shining in the morning sun. That was one great thing about a mouth full of poison, she thought. No morning breath.

Leaning down to kiss her on the forehead, Sesshoumaru was surprised at the speed with which she moved her mouth to meet his, flipping him back on the couch. He laughed throatily, feeling her taut body melting against his as their mouths once again intertwined. He could hear her sweet heart pattering in her chest, and the strain of her lungs as they kept each other panting. They pulled away as they heard footsteps thundering down the stairs.

"Oh, for the love of—" cried Kagome, cocooning herself in a blanket again so she could accept her morning hugs from Shippou, and a shy but happy Rin. She then sped up to her room, grabbing a shirt and sweats before catching her image in the mirror. She was shocked at what everyone else had been seeing. She was toned and long and catlike, much more so than she had ever seen on any demon, but she was still remarkably Kagome, with those surreal perfections that had always awed her in Sesshoumaru. Her breasts had filled out, her waist had narrowed and her hips widened, and her body seemed to have stretched into liquid perfection. Her blue eyes were bluer, her long black hair was longer and sleeker, and her skin was like polished marble.

She caught the glimmer of pink on her cheeks and turned to admire the soft pink stripes adorning her face. She giggled, twisting around and searching her still-nude body for the other stripes she knew she would find. She had two on each ankle, accentuating the lines of her legs. She also had two on each side, stretching from her lower back down around her pelvis to land just before the nest of curls there. One traced each side of her collar bone, and two more adorned her wrists. She wondered if Sesshoumaru's were in the same places, and was delighted that she could actually find out. If only she could get him alone!

Smiling determinedly to herself, she dressed and headed downstairs to make breakfast. She would need to teach her friends how to make food eventually, but for now she was content in feeding them. Her mothering instinct had taken over yet again. She giggled and thumped down the stairs in a most un-demonic manner, leaping off the last two steps and landing, with eerie accuracy, on top of the breakfast bar in the kitchen, sliding across and thumping to the ground in front of the refrigerator. She giggled again, turning the stereo on with the flick of a claw and yanking the fridge door open. She was elated with her life right now, and she was going to damn well enjoy herself.

Moving in a flurry of home-ec-inspired motion, Kagome had soon whipped up enough food to feed an army, or just a traveling group of demons, boys, and children. The wafting scents had roused everyone in the house, and they soon gathered around the kitchen table for the feast their friend had prepared. After stuffing themselves, and several fiery glances between Kagome and Sesshoumaru, Kagome broke the news to her friends about Inuyasha.

As expected, they all freaked out, demanding she 'call' him, although they weren't quite sure what that meant, and get him to tell them what had been going on. She happily sauntered over to the phone, pulling it off of the cradle as her friends watched on curiously. She punched in Inuyasha's number. It rang.

"Is he there?" asked Miroku, clearly burning up with curiosity.

"Hold on," she commanded, holding her hand over the receiver. "It's ringing."

This didn't answer any questions in the group, but they all silenced and waited for Kagome to let them in on the magic box.

"Hello?"

Inuyasha's rough voice rang through the receiver, and the entire room burst into sound, everyone yelling into the receiver at Inuyasha at once. Kagome winced, throwing up a barrier around her sensitive ears and the phone in her hand, blocking their noise.

"Inuyasha! Everyone here says hi."

He laughed, the first real, hearty laugh she'd heard him give in a long time.

"Inuyasha, what's going on? How are you safe? Why didn't I detect you? Who are you with? How did you know when to come back?" The questions spilled out of her, her excitement increasing the speed and pitch of her voice.

He laughed again. "You guys wanna meet me at the airport? I can show you faster than I can tell you."

"The airport?" she squeaked out.

"Yeah, the airport," he laughed. "You think we'd be living in that smelly city? Not a—"

"We?!" Kagome's jaw dropped to her toes. "Who's we?"

He laughed again, and Kagome really started to miss the Inuyasha who just got huffy and couldn't hide anything for long. "I'm sending a car over in a few minutes, it'll take care of you guys."

He laughed again, then hung up. Kagome released the barrier and hung up the phone, turning back to her friends. "He's sending a car."

"A what?" they asked, eyes bugging out at the overload of information.

She laughed, feeling very much like Inuyasha. "You'll see."

--

Two hours, one pair of pants, and several airsick comrades later, their plane touched down on a beautiful island that Kagome had never heard of. It was lush and tropical, and everything was perfect. There, striding up the beach, was Inuyasha, along with another demon, who felt strangely familiar. Kagome focused her eyes on him and gasped.

"Kouga?"

-(This is where I would put a chapter break if this thing wasn't too short for me to stop.)-

Kouga laughed, and Inuyasha draped his arm over the wolf's shoulder. "You didn't think I could kept his place running alone, did you?"

"This place?" asked Kagome, eyes flittering from side to side. She saw another couple of demons wandering down a path to the beach, smaller figures in tow carrying buckets and tiny plastic shovels. There were umbrellas and towels spread out on the sand, she now saw, and houses off along the horizon.

"Wha—"

Kouga cut her off. "Let's head to our house, we can discuss it there."

"Your…" Kagome's eyes finally focused on Inuyasha's arm draped across Kouga's body, in a completely familiar and loving way that finally registered as something only couples do. She coughed. "You two?!"

They both laughed, and their eyes lit up as they gazed at one another. "Come on, Kags," chuckled Inuyasha, "Couldn't you smell it? Wonder why I hadn't aged? Some demon you are!"

They all laughed, although the newcomers to the island were still a bit uncomfortable. Following Inuyasha and Kouga down the path, with Shippou chattering excitedly on Inuyasha's shoulder and Miroku following alongside, they finally reached Inuyasha and Kouga's house. It was a large, stately mansion in the traditional style, with a curving path and a beautiful garden, and Kagome could hear a small creek babbling somewhere behind it. They were soon shepherded into a cream-colored sitting room, where Inuyasha proceeded to explain what had happened in the past five hundred years.

"So, once you guys sealed yourself in, I hung out with Kaede for a while, protecting the village and the well. Kouga here came to visit while I stood guard, and we bonded. Soon we shared the watch, passing the time talking and such." At this Sesshoumaru coughed, and Inuyasha made a face at him before carrying on. "Eventually, we mated, I'll skip those details for you, bro. Anyway, Kagome, you left all your stuff behind, including your history book, so we pretty much knew where to be and when to leave the area. I watched the lands as long as I could, but then the humans started multiplying and advancing their technology, and they drove us further and further out of our place, killing those who refused to move."

Kagome winced.

"Them being my people and all, I moved us to this island, which I figured wouldn't get discovered for quite a while. Some didn't come along, because of the half-breed thing, but I suppose they learned their lesson eventually. Anyway, we saved some stuff through the ages, knowing what was important and all, coins and historical memorabilia and such, and sold 'em once the time was right so we could buy the island legit. Now we live here. We shelter demons who need to hide, or who want to live in peace, or those who live out in the human world who need to lay low until no one will recognize their face anymore. We've got an up-to-date medical center, internet, phones, the whole shebang. And some property on the side."

"Property on the side?"

"Well, we had to buy your family shrine, so we could keep it safe and sell it to your family at the right time, and then we decided we could have some others, and it sorta spread."

"How much has it spread?" asked Kagome, sensing that he wasn't telling her something.

"Well, over the course of things… I kinda own a good third of Japan."

"WHAT?!"

"I had five hundred years to buy it, Kagome! I couldn't just sit around! It's an investment!"

Kagome, for lack of a better reaction, burst into howls of laughter, and the rest of the group soon followed. Things were pretty much back to normal.

--

In the years that passed, Kagome spent more blissful time with her friends and family than she had ever dreamed. Sango and Miroku were married on the island, where they lived more contently than they did in the modern world. Shippou and Rin attended school in the human world for a few years, transferring back to the demon island once Shippou's slower aging became apparent. They grew up fast and inseparable, and it was no one's surprise when they eventually mated, freezing Rin at a beautiful twenty five. She had grown into a surprisingly strong young woman, with a passion for botany and floristry that Jaken took full credit for.

Miroku and Sango soon grew old, passing on surrounded by their friends, children, and grandchildren. Their children took many separate ways, always coming back to visit Kagome and the Island, a few of them staying and taking demon mates. Shippou and Rin moved to Japan to fulfill Rin's desires of her own flower shop, and Shippou sat happily with her day after day, entertaining her with his foxfire whenever business got slow. He, too, had grown up to be a handsome young man, having finally caught up with himself, and they were as happy as Kagome had ever seen.

Inuyasha and Kouga were also happy, in a playful, relaxed way, and it was a pleasure for Kagome and Sesshoumaru to stay with them until their house had been built. Inuyasha had turned over half of his land to Sesshoumaru, who was the rightful heir but would accept no more than the fraction he received. It was more than enough money to support them, anyway, and Sesshoumaru was secretly rather proud of what his little brother had done.

Looking back, Kagome could easily remember the end of their first day on the island, and how her life had finally come to a perfect crescendo.

--

Sesshoumaru's eyes sparkled as he rolled out the blanket on the beach, mysterious basket packed by Inuyasha in hand. They stretched out, silent except for the rolling of the waves on the beach. They had already had dinner, and Kagome opened the basket curiously. Inside was a note. It read:

"Dear Kagome and Sesshoumaru

From the smell of you two, I know you haven't actually gotten down to business yet. I figure I owe you this.

Inuyasha"

"Well," said Kagome, "that was concise."

"Indeed," stated Sesshoumaru, pulling something lacy and pink out of the basket. "What are these things he thinks he owes us, again?"

Kagome's eyes bugged out, and his rakish smile showed that she had just shown him exactly what they were used for. She felt her blood simmer as he continued unloading the basket. Chocolate syrup, a bottle of cherry-flavored massage oil, several lacy thongs, some furry handcuffs, and a silken sheet soon joined the negligee on the blanket, carefully laid out by an excited demon. As the items left the basket, so Kagome felt her nervousness easing. She could show him how to use these well.

Grabbing the nightie and a thong, she promised to be back and scampered off into the woods, slowly changing as she prepared herself for his gaze. As she left the cover of the forest, however, she knew that nothing could prepare her for the intense heat of his shimmering amber pools. The lacy nightgown bared her breasts to his eyes, cradling them in a network of ribbons and ties. It brushed delicately against her hips, revealing the red thong underneath. His jaw dropped as she bent over, grabbing the massage oil and pushing him back onto the blanket.

She ripped his kimono open and threw it aside, rolling him over onto his stomach. Warming the massage oil between her hands, she slid her hands up and down his back, excited by his moans of pleasure. She kneaded at his shoulders, then ran her hands down to the top of his ass, teasing the area around his waistband and sliding towards his hips. He moaned again, louder this time, and rolled over to face her, obvious bulge brushing against the thin layer of the panties. His eyes widened, and he managed to pant out a "continue," before she attacked his chest, oiling and tweaking and rubbing until he hadn't a coherent thought left in his head.

Then, just as he looked like he was about to pass out from pleasure, she stopped, and began sensually untying her complicated fabric prison. Sesshoumaru's eyes cleared just in time to see her drizzling a soft brown syrup over her naked chest. Growling, he decided that no such barrier could be between his eyes and her body, he bent forward and sniffed it. It smelled… delicious. He licked it. Mmm. He licked again, delicious. He laved his tongue over a larger surface area, her moan alerting him to the fact that he was bringing her immense pleasure, along with sampling a tasty treat.

A chuckle rumbled from his stomach, out into her chest where him mouth was playing with a chocolatey nipple. He soon had her skin clean and her soul begging him for release, and he was more than happy to oblige. He prepared her gently, bringing her body to writhe around his fingers as he stretched her impossibly tight opening. Then, as her body screamed for release, he positioned himself and slid into her, breezing through her barrier and freezing as he waited for her to adjust.

With a small cry Kagome had lost her virginity, but her demon metabolism soon soothed the ache and her body quickly caught up to the immense fullness that she was now experiencing. With a small shift of her hips, she was about to tell him she was ready, but the movement brought so much pleasure to the both that she moaned instead. Catching his cue, Sesshoumaru began moving, and the sparks of delight that radiated from their joining soon caught them aflame, burning them down until they exploded as one.

Lying together on the blanket, covered in the silky sheet (which had showered them with rose petals when they had unfolded it), they had fallen asleep under the stars.

--

Kagome, content in her memories, snuggled into Sesshoumaru's arms. The pups had been put to bed, and they were cuddled in together, marital bliss in perfect form. Kagome giggled.

"You know, we never did use those handcuffs," she murmured.

He chortled. "Never too late, miko."

She grinned at him, and reached over to the basked they kept stashed under their bed. No one said marriage had to get boring, she thought happily.

"The chocolate, too?" he asked, pulling out the puppy dog eyes that still managed to make her swoon.

"Of course," she said. A quick barrier insured that there would be no intrusions that night, but even if there had been, the couple couldn't have cared less. They were happy.

And they always would be.

--

The end.

--

Yaay! Finished!

Wooot?

Ha, I thought it was never gonna end!

Smooshy, gooey, but wonderful fun.

Thanks for all the reviews/watchies/etc.

And please tell me if it needs anything else!


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